


Episode 28 - Lesser Evil

by stgjr



Series: "The Power of a Name" Series 3 - "Time Lord Penitent" [28]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Multi-Fandom
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Multiple Crossovers, Multiverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-21 18:01:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11362713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stgjr/pseuds/stgjr
Summary: Our narrator tracks a Crack in Republic City, with an imminent Earth Kingdom civil war looming to complicate matters.  Because complications are just one of those things a Time Lord can't avoid.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on June 14th, 2015.

You may have noticed a theme in this narrative by now. Namely, the Cracks, and the frequency in which I faced them. They were, indeed, getting worse.  
  
i sat one day contemplating this while Liara picked up a few things from the Citadel. The problem indicated something severe, I knew that. They were a symptom to a larger problem. And I couldn't shake the feeling that they were tightly connected to my own origins, hazy as they were at the time. I mean, virtually every case of a Crack I had encountered had involved something coming through, and with an understandable exception - the Elves - all invaders coming through Cracks had been from the home cosmos of the original Doctor and of Gallifrey. Gelth, Silence, Sontarans, Weeping Angels, Clockwork droids... They all indicated the same pattern.  
  
Liara stepped in to my library and swimming pool room, wearing a purple and red Asari jumpsuit. "I have everything I need," she said. "And I checked in with Feron to make sure everything was fine."  
  
"Sounds good," I replied in a tone that I admit was dismissive and bland. I was so deep in thought I had barely comprehended what she said.  
  
Liara leveled a look at me. "You sound distracted."  
  
"Cracks," I answered. "The Cracks."  
  
She nodded. "There do seem to be quite a few around."  
  
"We've run into five in our time together," I said. "That's more than the Cracks I encountered in my travels with any two of my previous sets of Companions, Liara."  
  
Liara looked intently at me. "That _is_ concerning," she agreed. "Do you think...?"  
  
I interrupted her before she could finish, saying, "I don't think anything right now." Rude of me, I know, and I should have known better. I just found the whole issue profoundly exasperating.  
  
"Maybe we could find one that isn't an immediate danger," Liara suggested. "Then we could study it."  
  
I almost rejected the idea out of hand, but stopped. It did make some sense. I had tried scanning some of the Cracks before, getting very little, and I was usually preoccupied with sealing them in order to prevent them from causing trouble. Taking the time to study one intently, to perhaps bring more sophisticated sensor equipment in to do so and glean more information?  
  
"That is a very good idea," I murmured. I sat up in the chair I was in, knocking over a book on transdimensional phenomena written in some very fine Jutari, and rushed out. Liara followed me closely as I went to the control chamber. I went up to my scanner console and started adjusting settings. "I found a way to detect Cracks some time ago," I said. "Given that the TARDIS can tear them open if I'm not cautious."  
  
"Any reason you haven't sought out more Cracks?", Liara asked.  
  
"I was," I said. "Back when Katherine was my Companion. But..." I sighed. "I didn't do it full time, Liara. I was too busy taking Katherine places. And then she died and I was... preoccupied."  
  
Liara nodded. She knew what I meant. "Well, let's try it."  
  
"Right," I said, firing up the protocols involved. "Alright, let's see what we've got..." I looked over the screens, waiting to see if I got a result. "Nothing... nothing.... whole lot of nothing...." I kept muttering that to myself for a little bit, perhaps a couple of minutes, before I got a result. "A-ha! There we are!" I checked the coordinates.  
  
Liara saw the look on my face. I knew it wasn't a nice look. I'm pretty sure I looked rather perturbed and upset. "What?", she asked. "What's wrong?"  
  
"The Crack." I drew in a breath, unable to keep the worry from my voice. "It's in Republic City."  
  
  
  
  
The TARDIS materialized amongst trees in the city's main park. I stepped up with my sonic screwdriver already held up, ready to scan. Liara followed me closely with her holobelt activated. "Do you think we'll find the Crack nearby?"  
  
"No telling," I answered. "The margin of error is large enough to span the entirety of the city, and several miles above or below. Or even a few months in the future. "  
  
We stepped out onto a footpath heading toward the park's open space. "I thought the scanner was accurate?", Liara asked.  
  
"Something is interfering with it," I answered. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's the Spirit Wilds."  
  
"Spirit Wilds?"  
  
"They're a bunch of spirit vines and plants that have taken over parts of the city, due to a big bloody nasty spirit called Vaatu," I explained.  
  
"Oh." Liara patted at her head. I scowled at her and she returned. "I'm not used to tactile sensation back there," she said defensively. The holobelt system added some hard light mass where the blue hair would be entering her scalp if it were real. This helped to keep her treatment of it authentic.  
  
"Try not to call attention to it," I said, sighing. "I'm still not sure we have the movement algorithms down right."  
  
"Maybe I should just appear bald?", Liara asked.  
  
"That's a bad look on some worlds, best to not call even more attention to ourselves..." I advanced onward, but the scan was all wobbly. "Oh come on, work you bloody thing!"  
  
"Maybe my omni-tool can help you..." Liara stopped and looked bewildered, as she tried to hear something. "What's that?"  
  
I stopped and focused. "Shouting," I answered. "And rather angry sounding."  
  
And like a bloody fool, I decided to check it out. I ran on and crested a hill to look out at the main field of the park.  
  
For one thing, there was a really nice statue of Korra. Well made and crafted, the kind of monument anyone might want to have. I blinked. Raiko actually approved of it? The little weasel-snake of a politician had made it rather clear he saw Korra as more of a tool than anything, and I knew they didn't get along.  
  
Of course, that probably meant he didn't care for the gunk that was being splashed over it.  
  
There were two crowds, both wearing various types of clothing, but all with that same general look that spoke of Earth Kingdom ethnic affiliation in this world. Bullhorns bobbed amongst the crowd, as did posters and placards marked in Earth language logograms that the Gift of the TARDIS would translate for me as we got close enough to really make them out. Though both crowds had that similarity, there was something rather obvious in their form of dress. One crowd tended toward old-fashioned Earth Kingdom garments, the other toward a uniform, almost militaristic look.  
  
I admit I scowled a bit upon confirming some of the posters the last group had. Indeed, even some of their dark green shirts showed the same; a picture. A picture of a young woman of striking features, dark eyes, and with eyebrows a bit on the thick side. The little beauty mole below her right eye was the detail that clinched the memory in my head, from newspapers I'd seen during my prolonged stay in the Southern Water Tribe some time ago.  
  
"Supporters of Kuvira, I presume," I muttered to myself.  
  
"Who is Kuvira?", Liara asked.  
  
"She's a leader on this world, put together her own army to restore order to the Earth Kingdom after terrorists killed the Earth Queen a couple of years ago," I answered. "She has sponsorship from President Raiko and other world leaders, although they're already grooming another heir."  
  
As I spoke, I saw another one of them throw something at Korra's statue. But this time it was intercepted by a rock, sent up by the other group - given the velocity, clearly from an Earthbender - that was setting up a protective perimeter around the statue. Though they were wearing more traditional Earth Kingdom garb, I could see they had some placards with another face. This one was of a man with strong features, prominent ones particularly for people of the Southwestern Earth Kingdom, and a universally long hair. He looked... well, frankly, he looked like be longed in the Hundred Year War era, not this one.  
  
"And who's that?", she asked.  
  
"Not sure. Trying to remember if I've seen him before...."  
  
We slowed down as we neared the crowd. One chanted Kuvira's name when they weren't screaming abuse at Korra, the others were shouting abuse right back and chanting two names: Korra's, and another name: Xuandi.  
  
Xuandi? I tried to think of where I'd heard it. I lived on this planet for about nineteen months and spent a lot of time providing technical advice and proposals to Tonraq for improvements to his city. You'd think I'd remember dignitaries from the occasional banquet or special dinner. Granted, I was in a bad place at the time, mentally...  
  
And then the name finally rang a bell. I remembered it being signed to a general trade agreement Tonraq had asked me to double-check, mostly to ensure the promised quantities of mineral resources were sufficient for improving the Southern Tribe's quays and docks. Xuandi of Omashu.  
  
_King_ Xuandi of Omashu.  
  
"Doctor..." There was a warning tone in Liara's voice. And for good reason.  
  
Rocks began to erupt from the ground and on both sides, Earthbenders started to fling abuse at one another... and anyone to either side of them. I stopped our advance. "Alright, I think we should step back a bit," I said. "We'll let Chief Beifong and her redoubtable Metalbenders handle the crowd control."  
  
We did start moving back. But, as it turned out... not nearly far enough.  
  
One of the Earthbenders screamed something. I couldn't make out which side they were on. But they struck the ground and started really pulling at it, sending vibrations outward. People lost footing, save for other Earthbenders, and when I say people I include us. The ground seemed to tip out from under my feet and I staggered, grabbing for support from a park bench. Liara hit the ground back first and seemed to hit her head a bit on the way down.  
  
This was a minor annoyance.  
  
As we recovered, two very large chunks of rock - the grass still clinging to them, in fact - were torn out of the ground, one on each side, and the opposing groups threw them at each other. The massive boulders impacted, crunched, and being held in place by Earthbending, failed to fall apart but instead were torn from the benders' hands and went flying off by the accord of normal physics acting upon the energy granted the boulders.  
  
One of them came straight for us.  
  
That... was _not_ a minor annoyance.  
  
I scrambled for the sonic disruptor and called out to Liara, but she was still disorientated. There was no way she would be able to stop the boulder.  
  
Like I said. Not a minor annoyance at all.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The fracas of squabbling Earthbenders had lost its interest in my focus given one of the results; that is, the giant bloody boulder that was coming at me and Liara, who was still struggling to even respond. I was already reaching for the sonic disruptor, but I didn't think I'd get to it in time.  
  
As it turned out, I didn't need to.  
  
Korra jumped in front of us with palms outstretched in an Earthbender stance. The boulder stopped in mid-air. With a second movement of her right arm Korra split the rock in half and allowed it to fall harmlessly to the grass. She looked back at me briefly and I gave her a nod, letting her know I was okay, and that she could get back to work.  
  
Her weight shifted and when her arms moved again, they generated powerful gusts of wind. The air shot between the two groups, throwing some of them off their feet and blowing away their earthen projectiles.  
  
Before they could resume their hostilities Korra landed between them. "The violence must stop!," she declared, holding up her arms to either side. I noticed she was wearing a slightly different version of her preferred sleeveless top, with a darker blue coloring and a white trim line running from her neck to one side. "We're trying to restore the Earth Kingdom, not break it apart!"  
  
"Lies!", cried one voice amongst the Kuvira Fan Club. "You and the Republic want to keep the Earth Kingdom weak and broken!"  
  
"Better a divided Earth Kingdom than one where everything we've built has been destroyed!", countered a voice among the Xuandi enthusiasts.  
  
"That's why the conference begins tonight," Korra said to them. "We can find a solution to make everyone happy."  
  
It was clear that the assembled groups weren't going to be happy just because she encouraged them to, but further encouragement was arriving in the skies; RCPD zeppelins. The two groups soon started to grumble and protest, but they dispersed.  
  
Korra sighed in relief and waved up. I could just make out one of the figures on the closest zeppelin, who nodded back. It looked like it was Lin. Korra gave a brief look to her slightly-damaged and gunk-covered statue, sighed again and with more exasperation, and started toward us. "Are you okay?", she asked.  
  
By this time I was helping Liara up. "I am, but I don't know about Liara. I think she took a bump on the head."  
  
Korra opened her water bottle and used her waterbending to pull the water out, which she settled over the bump on Liara's head. "It doesn't feel bad," she said, trying to assure me. "This should help."  
  
Liara let out a small groan as she regained more of her senses . "What's going on?"  
  
"You took a bit of a bump on the head," I answered. "Korra is healing you."  
  
Liara went back to touch her head and stopped when her fingers touched the water being held over her scalp. "That's... quite good. And not as distracting as a full medi-gel dose."  
  
"That stuff always made me feel like my head was going to float off my shoulders," Korra agreed. "I thought Asami was going to start floating above the floor that one time."  
  
I laughed at that. "It has its drawbacks." I looked back to where some of the protesters were still straggling. "So, I see you're back to work."  
  
Korra nodded. Her expression lost the humor she'd had a moment ago. "And it's even more complicated now. That wasn't even the worst of it. Half of Little Ba Sing Se was hit by a riot a week ago."  
  
That made me blink. "When I left the last time, it looked like Kuvira had nearly universal support. Even people in secure parts of the Earth Kingdom were supportive."  
  
"Yeah, well, they weren't as supportive as people thought," Korra said. "Now a lot of people are supporting King Xuandi."  
  
"The leader of Omashu? He didn't strike me as the ambitious type."  
  
"Yeah, well..." Korra sighed. "That's before I got involved."  
  
I nodded gently. "Ahhh... That would explain why his supporters were protecting your marble likeness."  
  
Korra didn't answer immediately. She focused on the glowing water she held to Liara's head until she pulled it back and returned it to her bottle. She led us to a nearby bench, where Liara remained quiet - likely still afflicted with a bloody headache - while Korra resumed. "I've been traveling a lot in the Earth Kingdom," Korra said. "Kuvira's been doing wonders in suppressing the bandits, but she's... I don't know."  
  
"She's taking measures that concern you," I said. I had personally feared as much about her from what information I'd been given. That she might go too far.  
  
"She has reasons, yeah. But I think she's starting to go a little too far," Korra admitted. "Kuvira's been stripping the provinces of any government that doesn't answer directly to her and arresting people as bandits even when there's no evidence. And Raiko won't do anything about it because he sees it as necessary to 'stability'. So I told Raiko about it and told people I thought Kuvira was starting to go too far. And then it got out into the papers and the next thing I know, everyone has me as joining Xuandi against Kuvira and Raiko."  
  
"Ah, the wonders of the press," I said. "They do love their drama, sells newspapers and all." I let out a sigh. I knew Korra still had some lingering issues from what Zaheer had done to her, although she had healed very well during our journey in the TARDIS. I gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.  
  
"Why are you here, anyway?"  
  
"What, are you implying I've come to cause trouble or something?", I asked, feigning wounded innocence. "Why would you think I'm not here to just check up on you?"  
  
"I might have thought that before I spent time traveling with you," Korra said, this time with an amused smile coming to her face. It heartened me to see she was still in an improved mood over how she'd once been. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Well, my TARDIS does tend to drop me where I'm needed, as you well know," I commented. "But..." I looked past Korra to where Liara was giving me a concerned look. I could guess why. Korra already had so much going on... telling her about more trouble would just pile it on.  
  
But I didn't feel right keeping things from her. Besides... she was smart, she could tell I was here for a reason.  
  
So I sighed. "Liara and I have been running into Cracks," I explained. "You remember what I told you about them?"  
  
"Something about points where the fabric of reality has cracked open across... what was it, six dimensions of space-time?"  
  
"Yes." I grinned a little. Korra didn't take to technical terms for exotic space-time and the like well, but she had good memory. "We didn't run into any, of course, and I'd only seen a few before." I tried to restrain the worry I felt as I added, "But since I dropped you off, Korra, I've run into several more. As if they're appearing with more frequency compared to the timestream of my TARDIS. So I'm looking for..."  
  
Worry crossed Korra's face. "There's one here, isn't there?"  
  
I had to nod. "Yes. My scanners are sure of that. I can't quite pinpoint it, though. I think the Spirit Wilds interfere with the scanners."  
  
"Well, we can talk to Lin. Maybe she can assign some of her police to help you look for it," Korra offered. "And the Airbenders can help too. And I can get Mako and..."  
  
"Don't you have a diplomatic conference tonight?", Liara asked.  
  
Korra looked over at her. "Well, yeah, but I've heard about these Cracks before. They're dangerous. That's got to take priority."  
  
"From the way it looks to me, Korra, if this conference doesn't go well, you'll have a civil war on your hands." Liara shook her head. "It might be best if you let the Doctor and I focus on the Crack while you do your work."  
  
For a moment Korra seemed... pensive. Irritated, even. "I know what my duty is," she said, her voice taking on a tough tone. "Raiko and Tenzin can handle the diplomatic stuff. If there's a Crack in Republic City, it's a danger to everyone, and as the Avatar it's my job to keep it from hurting people."  
  
"It's also your job to keep your world's peace, right?", Liara replied. "The Doctor and I can call you in if we need the help, but you should focus on what's important at the moment. If something has come through the Crack, it won't do your world any good to have a civil war breaking out while we try to deal with the Crack."  
  
Korra looked over to me. "Do you feel the same way?", she asked. There was something of a challenging look in her expression. Almost a glare.  
  
"I think she has a point," I conceded. "But I think it's your decision."  
  
Now Liara actually was glaring at me. Oi. I rubbed at my head. "Korra, I do think you should worry about the conference more. Now that you've been pulled into this matter, your presence is important to fixing it. When I find the Crack, you are the first one I will tell. I promise."  
  
I could see thoughts stirring in Korra's expression. She finally answered me with a nod. "Right. The conference."  
  
"Yes." I allowed myself a mischievous grin. "I imagine you _were_ hoping to get to hit things instead."  
  
Despite herself, Korra giggled. "I'm not sure hitting Kuvira or Raiko would fix anything. But it's a fun thought."  
  
"My, how you've grown. When we first met your Plan A involved punching fireballs at people," I teased.  
  
"Well, between Tenzin and you and Asami, I...."  
  
I noticed the stop immediately. I looked at her again and saw Korra's eyes turn distant.  
  
That... was not a good sign.  
  
"Korra?"  
  
She seemed to recognize I was watching her. "What? Oh, nothing. It's nothing."  
  
Liara looked at her and then at me. Concern and some recognition were on her face.  
  
"Korra." I cleared my throat. "What's going on?"  
  
"Nothing. I mean, Asami's busy. She's got a company to run, she's rebuilding the city..."  
  
"And she does this every waking hour?"  
  
"I... guess?" I could see the issue was bewildering Korra. "I mean, I hear from her now and then, but Asami's been really reclusive lately," she explained. "Whenever I go to see her, she's usually locked up in her lab. It's driving her publicist crazy."  
  
"I imagine it would," I said. I was trying to keep the guilt out of my voice. I had a strong suspicion Asami was busy at work with private projects relating to what I'd brought her for Christmas, among other things. Although why she was working on it daily I wasn't sure, it wasn't something she could do quickly.  
  
"I only got back into Republic City recently, though," Korra continued. "Maybe she's just finishing up a project." Her tone of voice betrayed the kind of strained hope that comes when you know you're wrong, but can't help but hope you're not.  
  
"I'll have to go check up on her, I suppose," I said. "I'm sure she's just busy, Korra."  
  
That turned out to be the wrong thing to say. The false assurance simply made Korra look miserable. "I'd better go," she said. "Raiko is hosting a banquet before the actual talks start tonight. Tenzin expects me to be there."  
  
"I'm sure he does," I answered. "Well, a banquet, that does sound entertaining. And I'm a little hungry. Liara?"  
  
"Famished," Liara said in reply, grinning.  
  
"I'm... not sure Raiko will let you in," Korra said, although she was starting to grin.  
  
"And that, my dear Avatar, is why I carry psychic paper," I laughed. "But the most important question is...." I was certain my eyes sparkled. "Will there be any dancing?"  
  
  
  
  
I changed suits and Liara donned one of her fine dress suits she'd gotten from the Citadel, a blue and purple suit with red trim. The holo-belt completed the disguise, making her look like a blue-haired Human woman. We arrived at one of the larger hotels in Republic City, not far from the Spirit Wilds. One single vine had gone through one of the lowest floors, but it wasn't so damaged as other structures. An RCPD detachment at the door waived us in thanks to the psychic paper.  
  
We were directed to the ballroom, which was an interesting mixture of fashions. The Republic City elite in attendance were dressed for a black tie affair, certainly. They were quite snappily dressed at that. The only exception was the familiar uniforms of the RCPD, worn by Chief Beifong and... hrm, yes, that was Mako standing beside the little pencil-thin young fellow.  
  
In one corner of the room, people were not in black tie. Their uniforms of dark green with metal shoulder epaulets gave away their allegiance rather quickly. I didn't see Kuvira in their number, but I couldn't see all of them at the moment.  
  
I did, however, see Bolin, who was chattering away with a mustached fellow with the only non-military hairstyle I'd noticed. I blinked. Oh, yes, that was Varrick, wasn't it? He even had that assistant of his hovering beside him. Military life apparently suited him.  
  
It was nice to see Bolin doing well, I suppose, although on the other hand, there was something incredibly disconcerting about the whole thing. I couldn't see Bolin as a rigid soldierly type.  
  
On the opposite side of the room there were other people. As the protestors in the park had been, these were dressed in the more traditional robes of the Earth Kingdom, an emphasis on greens and browns for color, beards and hair kept in those old styles. Xuandi's people, obviously.  
  
I moved toward the middle group first. I recognized Raiko and his wife, the affectionately-named Buttercup, turn away from one of the other business elite of the city. Raiko momentarily started at noticing my arrival. He briefly looked back into the groups to where Korra - now wearing a nice blue Water Tribe dress - was talking with Jinora and Tenzin. I saw his eyes harden for a moment before he forced them to soften as I stepped up to him. "President Raiko," I said. "Greetings. And to your wife, as resplendent as always." I nodded politely, and the praise prompted a smile from the middle-aged woman. "Allow me to introduce Liara t'Soni, my current traveling companion."  
  
"Ah. The Doctor." Raiko offered his hand and I took it. "I hadn't expected you here."  
  
And, given his body language, he hadn't wanted me here.  
  
"I was just stopping by," I answered, smiling diplomatically. As if I hadn't noticed how displeased he was with me being present. "It looked like an interesting gathering, so I thought I would introduce Liara to you and to some of the others." I looked around. "Sadly, it doesn't look like there's any dancing."  
  
"This is not the proper venue, I'm afraid," Raiko replied. Oh, he _really_ wasn't happy to see me. "Is that all you're here to do?"  
  
"Well, yes. Unless you'd like some help with the negotiations or what have you. I do try my hand at diplomacy from time to time." I haughtily ignored the smirk that crossed Liara's face. "Things seem to have become more complicated since I last visited. I never took King Xuandi as the type to look for wider power."  
  
Raiko's expression didn't change. "He insists that he represents the interests of the provinces that Kuvira has not stabilized yet. I find that hard to believe given the chaos there."  
  
"An understandable concern. On the other hand, he is voicing a concern from the Earth Kingdom's people about the direction their country is being taken in."  
  
"He represents the old order. Queen Hou-Ting proved how incapable and corrupt that order can become. It'll be better for the Earth Kingdom as a whole under a new system."  
  
"One overseen by General Kuvira?", I asked pointedly.  
  
That got me an exasperated look. "The _Regent_ is only securing the provinces so that the rightful heir can resume his rule," Raiko said. "As you well know. I'm well aware you spent over a year as one of Chief Tonraq's advisers."  
  
"I was a technical consultant, not a full advisor, so I wasn't exactly covering the world political situation with deep interest," I answered dismissively. It was, in fact, mostly true; I hadn't been back then. Granted, I'd still known Kuvira was officially known as Regent, but it was clear that "General" fit her job more closely. At least to me. "And I'm just trying to find out how things have gotten to this point. When I left, Xuandi was ready to sign into Kuvira's forces, not oppose her."  
  
Raiko's teeth looked like they were to start grinding as he said, "You'll have to ask your _friend_ the Avatar about how that happened, Doctor. The only reason the Earth Kingdom has become as bad as it's gotten is because of her bungling." He put an arm around his wife's. "If you'll excuse me?"  
  
He walked away. I noticed Liara smirk a little. "Well, he's certainly... charming."  
  
"Yes..." I looked around the crowd and decided to go see how Bolin was doing. He was a soft heart; if Kuvira really was going too far, I would think he would show reservations.  
  
Bolin saw us coming and smiled. "Hey, Doctor, it's good to see you!" He noticed Liara. "And you have a new friend?"  
  
"Gentlemen, this is LIara T'Soni," I said. "Nice to see you, Bolin. Looking rather snappy in that uniform, I see."  
  
"Oh, well... yeah. Kuvira says it makes us look better, wearing the same thing. Like we're police and stuff." Bolin looked over toward Varrick. "So this is..."  
  
"Varrick's the name!" Varrick cut Bolin off and offered me his hand, which he shook vigorously. "Say, I've heard stories about you. Some kind of... time traveler, right? Advanced technology and machines, that sort of thing?"  
  
"Yes," I answered. "A Time Lord, to be precise. I've heard quite a few things about you too, Mister Varrick."  
  
"Good or bad?"  
  
"...mixed."  
  
"Ah, well." He slapped me on the back. "You know how it goes. You slip up here or there and everyone makes sure they never let you live it down!" He held his hand out toward his assistant. "This is Zhu Li. Zhu Li, mind getting us a round from the waiter?"  
  
"Yes sir," she said in a fairly deadpan voice, after which she walked off.  
  
"Say, Doctor, I've been hearing rumors about you." Varrick leaned in close to my face. "They say you've been slipping some kind of technology to Future Industries."  
  
I kept a poker face on. "Oh, do they?", I asked. "Newspapers, that sort of thing?"  
  
"Oh, the usual rumor mill. They say Miss Sato's been incommunicado for months, working on some new technological marvel using stuff she learned from you!"  
  
"Maybe so," I said. "I wouldn't know. I've not been to this world for some time, Mister Varrick."  
  
"Well, maybe we should fix that!", Varrick declared, ignoring the irritated look on Bolin's face. "Now, I'm planning on a new rail system that will revolutionize the world! And I've got one word to describe it: Electromagnets!"  
  
"Ah, electromagnetic rails," I said. "Quite a good idea. You'll probably have some issues with the materials, though, until your manufacturing catches up."  
  
"That's where you come in!", Varrick shouted. "You provide me with the same kind of stuff you gave Asami Sato and by year's end I'll have Varricktrains crossing all across the continent! It'll make securing the Earth Kingdom a snap!"  
  
"I..."  
  
"Given your continent is still divided and facing a civil war, Mister Varrick, I'm not sure your prediction would come true," Liara pointed out.  
  
"Oh, _that_." Varrick waved a hand dismissively. "That's nothing. Listen, old Xuandi's a crafty guy sometimes, but he doesn't have the manpower. Not with the Republic backing us."  
  
"Even if Korra sided with him?", Liara asked.  
  
"That wouldn't happen," Bolin insisted. "Listen, this whole thing's just a... a misunderstanding. It's the press trying to make a story up and mixing up what Korra said for it. Once she and Kuvira sit down and talk about this I'm sure everything will be handled."  
  
I exchanged a look with Liara. Somehow I had the feeling Bolin might be overstating his case. But he certainly wasn't different from what I saw before.  
  
On the other hand... Bolin is a sweet boy, but not the sharpest screwdriver in the box, you know what I mean? And given his connection to Korra, his role in fighting the Equalists, Unalaq, and the Red Lotus, not to mention his former athletic and mover careers... Well, I could see Kuvira carefully vetting the information he was given on what she was doing. Keep him happy and he was a propaganda role model for her movement. A bona fide hero of the world, friend and ally of the Avatar, whom the populace could be confident in.  
  
Up until the mechatanks rolled in, of course.  
  
"I was wondering about meeting her," I said. "Kuvira."  
  
"Oh, she won't be here until the talks," Varrick said. "We're doing the hard work of making contacts and friends while she relaxes for the really hard stuff."  
  
"Ah. A pity. I may have to return later." I bowed. "It was excellent meeting you again, Bolin, and good to finally meet you, Mister Varrick. I may have to tour your facilities sometime," I said.  
  
"We'd love to have you!", he answered, shaking my hand enthusiastically.  
  
We extricated ourselves from that conversation. "He certainly is interesting," Liara said. "And a little naive."  
  
"Bolin? He's got a good heart."  
  
"This Kuvira woman. She worries you, doesn't she?"  
  
I sighed. " _Immensely_. A young and charismatic leader with an army of followers? That doesn't always end well."  
  
"Not always. But it does sometimes. I remember some Matriarchs described Shepard like that."  
  
"Yes, I suppose so..."  
  
I had intended to go meet members of Xuandi's entourage. But before we could make it the thin young man I'd seen near Mako and Chief Lin intercepted us. He focused his look on Liara. "Well, what have we here?", he said in a voice thick with leer. I mean, complete leer. "Don't you look spectacular, my lady?" I almost rolled my eyes at the faux-charm, undoubtedly meant to be real charm, that came from his rolling of "My lady". "Where did you get the hair coloring?"  
  
Liara looked to me with patience. "And this is...?"  
  
I was about to answer "I have no bloody clue", but before I could the little twerp announced, "Oh, I'm Prince Wu, heir to the Earth Kingdom throne."  
  
I blinked. This was the best they could do? This... this...  
  
.... _puppet_.  
  
And all of the sudden Raiko's behavior was perfectly clear. His irritation with Korra and Xuandi wasn't just some desire to avoid civil conflict in the Earth Kingdom. Putting this pampered child on the throne was undoubtedly going to be followed with giving him an advisory council full of pro-Republic appointees. The Earth Kingdom would become a client state of the United Republic.  
  
But now Korra was emboldening Xuandi to oppose this plan, through his opposition to Kuvira. If Xuandi won independence, or bargained his position to a place in Wu's government, Raiko's plan was going to become unlikely to work.  
  
Now, I'm not saying Raiko was some evil powermonger. It was reasonable that he would want to secure the Republic by ensuring a Republic-friendly regime in Ba Sing Se. Hou-Ting had been hostile to the Republic and the chaos after her fall had demonstrated fully how intertwined the Earth Kingdom and the Republic were. Wanting to ensure Earth Kingdom support for the Republic was an understandable goal.  
  
That didn't mean we had to like it, though. Or like him.  
  
"So, what's your name?", Wu asked, drawing the question out. The boy actually thought he was charming. Remarkable what a sheltered life can do to a mind.  
  
"Doctor Liara t'Soni," she answered, a forced smile on her face.  
  
"I've got just one question," Wu said. "What do you think of spas? Because tomorrow I've got a lovely morning all planned out and I'd love to show you the best..."  
  
"I'm not interested."  
  
"You sure? I know all of the best shops in the city, we can get you the finest..."  
  
Seconds before I thought Liara would hit him with a biotic pulse, Mako interceded. "Prince Wu, President Raiko needs to talk to you."  
  
A disappointed and rather put-upon look crossed Wu's face. The little twerp bowed extravagantly to Liara. "I'm sorry, but state business calls. You can ask Mako how to reach me when you decide where we're going to go shopping." He walked away, plainly ignorant of the quiet frustration showing on Mako's face.  
  
"You're the bodyguard, I take it?", I asked Mako.  
  
"Yeah. It's a reward for breaking a case against the Agni Kais." Mako sighed. "Weeks of stakeouts and I get this."  
  
"No good deed goes unpunished, the reward for good work is more work, and all that," I opined. I glanced to where Korra was still talking to Tenzin. "So, with everyone else here, where's Asami? I would think a captain of industry would get an invitation."  
  
"I'm not sure," Mako said. "She's been really quiet lately. She goes home and never sees anyone. Even my family rarely sees her, and they're staying in the mansion."  
  
"Really? Huh." I shook my head. "That is peculiar."  
  
"I hear you're the reason," Mako said. "Tu told me you gave her some stuff recently."  
  
"Well, some things, yes," I said, "but nothing that would make her cut herself off."  
  
"Well, maybe it's everything. She's under pressure from rebuilding the city around the Spirit Wilds and the vines too. And there was that robbery."  
  
Liara looked interested in that. "Robbery?"  
  
"Some stuff from one of her new manufacturing plants on the outskirts of the city," Mako said. "One of the Triads broke in and stole everything inside. We're still investigating, but it set her company back millions of yuans."  
  
I frowned. "That is rather distressing. What was stolen?"  
  
"It's not my case, so I can't tell you," Mako answered. He looked over to where Wu was talking to Raiko and sighed. "Listen, I need to stay where I can watch Wu. I can talk later, maybe."  
  
"Understandable. Duty calls and all."  
  
He nodded in thanks and walked away. Once he was out of earshot, Liara looked at me. "Wu's a puppet, isn't he?"  
  
"Possibly," I said. "Given the prior Queen's ambitions, I imagine putting someone like him on the throne is an attractive option." I looked around the room again. Korra had moved on to standing by herself and looked rather lost. "Well, without Xuandi here or Kuvira, I've got nothing better to do," I said. "Let's see if we can cheer Korra up a bit, eh?"  
  
"I'm not sure we can," Liara said. "She looks pretty hurt. And we can't just solve her problem here."  
  
"No harm in trying, though."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
We walked up to where Korra had found a wall to stand by. She noticed us approaching and tried to change her expression. "So, what do you think? I saw you talking to Prince Wu."  
  
"Wu is... a very interesting choice to lead the Earth Kingdom, I grant", I remarked.  
  
"He's insufferable and annoying," Korra said, irritation showing. "He asks every girl he sees out on a date and spends every day sitting around in a spa or out shopping."  
  
"Yes. He does seem more of the indolent type," I agreed.  
  
"You seem upset." Liara drew Korra's attention with that remark. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I'm just tense," Korra answered. "There's a lot that could go wrong tonight."  
  
"Indeed," I agreed.  
  
"But that's not all, is it?"  
  
I gave Liara a harsh look, but she returned a defiant one. Korra sighed. "I'm just... worried about Asami."  
  
"So you said."  
  
"I sent her an invitation. So did Raiko. But she just..." Korra shook her head. "It's like she's avoiding me. Avoiding all of us. And I keep thinking back to see what I might have done but..."  
  
I had to admit my own worry about Asami now as well. She could be a little insular, but I'd never heard or seen her going to this extent of seclusion. "Do you know where she's living?"  
  
"The mansion again. She's got Mako and Bolin's family there for company, yeah, but...." Korra had a sad look in her eyes. "I've just... what if I said something wrong? I thought by the end of our trip with you, I mean, we get along so well..."  
  
"She might be busy with a project," Liara said. "Maybe we should try to..."  
  
There was commotion at the door. We turned our heads and saw two figures entering with entourages. I recognized Kuvira and Xuandi immediately. A young man wearing glasses was at Kuvira's side. Xuandi had a young man and a young woman flanking him, wearing robes that were more for high bureaucrats than actual Earth Kingdom nobility. Their features were close enough to suggest a family link, perhaps to Xuandi himself, with piercing green eyes and thin noses that matched.  
  
Korra moved ahead of us when the two foes seemed to stop and stare at each other with their entourages. There was a sort of raw tension in the air. "Do you think they'd actually start a fight?", Liara whispered to me.  
  
"I think that when tempers run high and you have a lot of followers, it's hard not to have one start on you," I muttered back, moving to get closer to Korra.  
  
"King Xuandi, Kuvira, welcome to Republic City," Korra said. "Thank you for coming."  
  
Kuvira's expression was, fittingly, that of a stone. "Avatar Korra," she began, "I understand you have concerns, but you realize that every day I'm kept from the field, it's another day that the people of the Earth Kingdom suffer?"  
  
"I know that," Korra answered. "I've been trying to help to. But it won't do any good if the Earth Kingdom's problems aren't fixed in the long term too, or if we rush a solution and we just make it worse."  
  
"The young Avatar speaks wisdom," Xuandi stated, his voice a high baritone. "I have applauded your efforts to restore order to the capital and the surrounding provinces, but you threaten to go too far, Kuvira."  
  
"I am doing what I must for our people." Kuvira looked over at Xuandi. "And I'm not keeping them locked in the past."  
  
The young people flanking Xuandi narrowed their eyes. "The past provides a model for the future. If you throw away our traditions, what is left?"  
  
"How about a stronger, united Earth Kingdom?", the young man beside Kuvira stated. I thought I saw a bit of a family resemblance in his features, some definite Beifong elements. Could this be the young Bataar? Why, I thought it was. "How about a new Earth state that..."  
  
He stopped when Kuvira stepped up. "Traditions don't feed starving children," Kuvira said succinctly. "They don't guard a town from bandits. Your traditions produce disunity and backwards thinking, the kind that allowed our country to nearly be conquered by the Fire Nation in the Hundred Year War, and which have left our people to starve while bandits eat their way through the provinces."  
  
"Earth is synonymous with diversity, Regent. You cannot make the whole Earth stone. Or should I say _steel_?"  
  
I could tell from Xuandi's tone of voice that he thought he had scored a great point in the verbal duel. He continued on. "I too am concerned for the people. I am concerned that they have suffered enough since the start of the Hundred Years War. That they should not have what spirit they have left pounded into the steel of the Kingdom you foresee. I stand for restoring them to what they once were on the strength of our traditions."  
  
"This is what we're here to negotiate about," Korra said, trying to halt the growing argument. "You both want to make things better for the people of the Earth Kingdom. And you both have good ideas. If we just sit down with cool heads maybe..."  
  
"Given your reputation, Avatar, you're one to talk," Bataar snapped.  
  
I felt an impulse to jump into the conversation, but I bit it back. This was Korra's place, not mine.  
  
"Bataar, it's alright," Kuvira said. She looked back to Korra. "Avatar, I came because I want to settle any differences between us and with Xuandi. I didn't start my campaign to attack other Earth Kingdom citizens. I want to save them."  
  
"I was hoping you'd say that."  
  
Before Xuandi or Korra could say anything, the sound of a clearing throat got everyone's attention. Raiko joined them. "Please, we can talk business at the conference later. For now, we should get to know each other and allow you both to enjoy the hospitality of Republic City."  
  
Xuandi nodded politely and Kuvira did the same. Raiko ignored the look Korra gave him and walked back toward the center of the room.  
  
I stepped up to her after everyone had walked on, leaving Korra alone. "Well. I think you did well."  
  
"I think Raiko's getting ready to throw me out of the city again," Korra confessed darkly. I could see a familiar, haunting look to her blue eyes. She had come back ready to resume her duties... and now she was being pushed into this mess, and enduring the verbal abuse of nearly every side in it.  
  
For a brief moment, I had a dark thought. A thought about the real Doctor, about what he did when his tenth (well eleventh) form was freshly regenerated. How, in a moment of disgust and anger, he had said just a handful of words, and had toppled a powerful leader.  
  
And I pondered how much success I'd have if I were to do the same to Raiko, if I were to go to one of his advisers, one of the journalists hovering around him, and utter those six magical words: "Don't you think he looks tired?"  
  
I also pondered on how much I wanted to do it.  
  
But that would be irresponsible. That would be something Triumphant would have done. So I banished the thought.  
  
"You handled them well, I thought," Liara stated.  
  
"Thank you, Liara." Korra looked back toward them. "I have a feeling I'm going to need to do better if I'm going to stop them from fighting each other, though."  
  
"You're up for it." I clapped her on the shoulder. "Now..."  
  
I felt something. A... subtle stirring of energy that was in the air. Had been in the air, but I had just passed through where it had gathered while moving to comfort Korra a little.  
  
Korra and Liara looked at me when I held the stop in my sentence. "Doctor?", Liara asked.  
  
"Hrm? Oh sorry. Just in thought for a moment." I smiled to reassure them. "As I was saying, Korra, you should probably rejoin them. Go around, talk to them, that sort of social hobnobbing to get them feeling relaxed. Should make the night go better, eh?"  
  
"I guess." Korra frowned. "Asami would be better at this, though."  
  
Liara gave me a withering look. I sighed. "Don't worry about that. I'll go talk to her. You know me, I can get in anywhere. Got in here, didn't I?" I gave her a tap on the back. "Now, you get to it, and I'll let you know if anything comes up."  
  
Korra nodded, drew in a breath, and walked toward the mixing gaggle of Republic City people and Kuvira's uniformed coterie.  
  
I breathed in a sigh of relief. "What?", I asked upon seeing Liara's look.  
  
"She really seems upset at Asami not being around."  
  
"They're close. Adopted sisters kind of thing. Of course she... oh, now what's that look for?"  
  
A bemused smile came to Liara's face. "I'm just thinking about how Jan and Cami are right. You _are utterly oblivious_."  
  
I rolled my eyes in reply. "Yes, well, we have more important things to deal with..."  
  
"Something involving the Crack?", Liara asked.  
  
"Quite," I replied. I held up my sonic. "Energy signature. Temporal energy consistent with the Cracks."  
  
"So... Someone here was exposed, you're saying?", Liara asked.  
  
"Quite likely. Either from direct contact or indirect." I held the sonic out. "Going to be tricky. Can't trace which one is the origin, the others were too contaminated."  
  
"Can you follow a trail?", Liara asked.  
  
"I just might." I looked back, making sure Korra was locked into a conversation - with Bolin as it turned out - and went to the door. "Let's go."  
  
  
  
  
Our trail took us the better part of the day to follow. Thankfully the decay of temporal energies, event faint ones, isn't that fast, and the trail would not grow cold for another day or so. Since it brought us by that lovely Water Tribe restaurant Korra had introduced me so long ago, I stopped long enough for a nourishing early dinner and to introduce Liara to the infamous green noodles. And then we were on the trail again. We didn't leave the central island, but we did end up in one of the dock districts, very close to the Spirit Wilds. So close, in fact, that when we found the building, half of it was consumed in vines, and with the sun already set beneath the horizon the shadows were cast quite long from them. "Goddess," Liara said, looking at it. "What could have done this?"  
  
"Angry spirit of pure darkness," I remarked flippantly. "Now..." I waved the sonic screwdriver around. I was definitely picking up a temporal energy trace. "Maybe we should knock," I pondered, approaching the door.  
  
"That would be polite, yes," Liara said. She smirked. "But that's not our usual way, is it?"  
  
"Indeed not," I said while bringing the sonic screwdriver up to the lock. A little twitching with magnetic fields and the door unlocked for us. We stepped in quietly. The adjoining room was dark, but light was coming in from the warehouse. I motioned to her with my hand and we walked through the next dark room and into the warehouse proper. Figures were milling around, wearing reds and greens and blues. I narrowed my eyes. I thought I recognized those colors.  
  
"Different worlds," Liara began, "but I still recognize an organized crime warehouse when I see one."  
  
"I have a very, very bad feeling about this," I muttered back. Someone from the conference had been to this building. Someone there had a Triad connection, or had hired them for something. I held up the sonic screwdriver. "No sign of any spike in temporal energy, the Crack isn't here," I whispered.  
  
"Wait, this symbol..." Liara pointed to one of the crates. Despite the darkness enough light was coming around the shelf I could make out the symbol she was talking about. "Isn't it...?"  
  
It was.  
  
The half-gear insignia of Future Industries.  
  
One mystery solved right there. I nodded at Liara. "Let's go and call up Chief Beifong and..."  
  
The shelving we were hiding behind was suddenly pulled down to the floor. Tools and objects clattered everywhere. And light poured in around us to make us fully visible.  
  
"Well well well, what do we have here, everyone?" One fellow stepped around a crate. He generated an open fire over his palm. "Looks like some snoops."  
  
"More like a couple of lost tourists," I said. "Say, you fellows wouldn't have happened to see a Crack through reality, would you? It'd be like a crack in mid-air shining with light. Hard to miss."  
  
For a moment, the Triad men didn't react, but the Firebender speaking to me shouted "Get 'em!"  
  
And that's when the ceiling exploded.  
  
A single humanoid form fell through the debris with white light trailing from its feet, slamming into the ground with a loud thud. The lights of the warehouse reflected off the metal skin of the suit, painted red with black highlights and trim.  
  
Which is why my jaw visibly dropped.  
  
This universe had power suits, yes. Mechatanks, their cargo-carrying predecessors, and the even more compact combat suits that Kuvira's army had started to field before I left the Southern Water Tribe. But this was more than that. The suit wasn't any taller than I was, and not much bulkier than a human. It was the most human-shaped powered suit this cosmos had ever seen.  
  
The lead Firebender who had been threatening us yelped and, in his panic, tossed a fireball. The fire struck the suit and barely shifted the occupant as the flames fell away from the red and black coating on the chest, just below the single circle of blue light set in the exact middle of the sternum just below the shoulder line. The suit's right hand came up and glowed a blue-ish white light briefly before energy lashed out, striking the Firebender directly in the chest and sending him flying.  
  
If it could have, my jaw would have hit the floor.  
  
"Doctor, that technology," Liara murmured. "That's not native..."  
  
"No, it's not," I answered breathlessly.  
  
I was quite familiar with the energy signature and appearance.  
  
_Repulsors._  
  
**_Starktech._**  
  
I should know, because I was the one who brought that technology here.  
  
And I already knew what I would see when I looked into the eyes of the clear visor on the helmet. Those intense, focused eyes of light green.  
  
" _ **ASAMI?!**_ " I blurted out, rendered incredulous by what I'd seen.  
  
There was only the tiniest of nods, because we were out of time. The rest of the Triple Threats overcame their fear and charged, Earthbenders ripping up chunks of stone from the floor of the warehouse, Firebenders gathering flame, and pair of Waterbenders pulling water out of two open tanks, presumably for that very purpose.  
  
I yanked my sonic disruptor from its loop inside my jacket and Liara gathered biotic energy around herself, her holo-belt disengaging as it always did when faced with the disruptive energies of her biotics.  
  
I came looking for a Crack. Instead, I found myself going Gangbusters on a Triad.  
  
Oi, my life gets so complicated sometimes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hunt for the Crack in Republic City is joined with an investigation into thefts from Future Industries. Unfortunately, our narrator looks to be getting involved with a lot of fuss. Plus there's the whole "Asami is building a Starktech power suit" thing, because who doesn't love the idea of "Iron Asami"?

There are days I really don't feel like the Doctor.  
  
I mean, yes, I use the name and all, and I have the blue box and the sonic screwdriver and the delightful charm. That's all true.  
  
But how often does the Doctor wind up in the perilous battles I always seem to find myself in? 'm not talking confrontations with nasty gribblies, but a simply lesser gribblies, or even normal beings, who just want to harm you for whatever reason and happen to have nothing in their way?  
  
Not too often, let me say. But I might as well mark Mondays for it to occur on.  
  
I got the sonic disruptor's shield in position to prevent a fireball from crashing into me. Liara's biotic protective field broke apart a rock thrown by an Earthbender. We jumped to either side to avoid the second boulder thrown by a second Earthbender.  
  
As I landed I noticed a launcher had emerged from the right shoulder of Asami's suit. It remained for another moment and dissatisfied sound came from within the helmet, after which it retracted. Her hands came up and the repulsors in the feet fired, lifting Asami into the air. She held out one hand and sent out a shot that took an Earthbending Triad member in the leg before he could kick a bigger rock at Liara. A lithe Firebender dodged her next shot and threw a fireball that did nothing.  
  
The Waterbenders had evidently decided on focusing on her. Twin jets of water flew out from the open water tanks and started striking Asami's suit, which the Benders began converting to ice. I held up the sonic disruptor and used a kinetic bolt to disrupt the water jets, preventing the freezing for the moment. Asami pinpointed her attackers and held up her left hand. Another launcher emerged from the forearm. This time it fired, sending a pair of darts that struck the Waterbenders and knocked them out.  
  
There was a shout of disbelief. I turned to see the two remaining Earthbenders hovering in mid-air, held in place by one of Liara's singularities. She dodged around a firebender and in a wave of her arm threw a biotic bolt at them. The energies of the two biotic power sources meshed and drew upon another, briefly intensifying the singularity before causing it to detonate with enough force to send its captives crashing into the walls.  
  
I brought the sonic disruptor up and gave a kinetic blast from it that knocked over the firebender who had tried to stop Liara. She turned and hit him with another biotic blast knocked him unconscious.  
  
With that work done I turned towards the sound of earth ground. One last pair of Earthbending Triad members were tearing up the warehouse floor for fresh ammunition to use on Asami. She hit the ground, ducked under one rock, and used the repulsor in the left palm of her suit to strike the Earthbender square in the belly. As the woman fell, her partner growled and focused upon the movement of his arms, tearing a large slab to toss at her. Asami went to dodge it with a flip. But she misjudged how fast she could move in her suit and the slab slammed into her anyway, sending her sprawling. I could hear the grunt of pain. The attacking Earthbender sneered and tore up more rock to throw at her now that she was prone. I jumped in, sonic disruptor raised, and caught the attack with my deflector.  
  
The Triad man snarled and started to bring out another chunk of earth, but he didn't get the time. Liara closed in and used a short-range biotic blast to send the gangster flying. He slammed into the far wall and crackled open a case with the impact, falling unconscious beyond the shelf where he landed.  
  
With all of the fighting finished I took in a breath and looked back at Asami. She was sitting up and pulling off the helmet, revealing her full face and the sweat pouring down her cheeks and forehead. Her hair fell out in a wavy mess. She looked... well, Asami was always one to take the time to acquire that certain look of prepared femininity with hairstyles and such and it took a lot to undo that appearance, so to see her like this.... I admit, it made me gawk a little. In fact, I suspected my expression was one that asked her if she were mad. "Asami?"  
  
"I'm still working on the environmental cooling systems," she sighed.  
  
"What... I don't even know _where_ to begin..." I started.  
  
"Then don't," Asami answered. "I didn't even realize you'd be here. Are you here because of Xuandi and Kuvira?"  
  
"Well, no," I answered. "I came to deal with the Crack my instruments say has appeared inn Republic City."  
  
Asami's eyes widened. "That... might explain the weird disruptions in the city's electrical grid. Future Industries has spent weeks looking for the cause."  
  
"It's possible," I conceded, "but in my experience, worlds as metaphysically active as your's tend to have Cracks that emit energy, not disrupt it." I shook my head. "What I don't get is... is..."  
  
"What?", Asami asked.  
  
" _This_ ", I said, holding my arms out to encompass her suit. "You look... I mean, that technology..."  
  
"The Mark II?" Asami looked down at herself. "It's still a prototype, the Mark III will be smaller."  
  
"But _why?!_ " I blurted out. "I..."  
  
"Doctor, wait."  
  
I looked back to where Liara was examining the broken open crate. She held out a bundle from within. "Doesn't this look a little strange?"  
  
I stared. I brought my sonic screwdriver out and met Liara halfway. I scanned the gray block and frowned. "These are plastic explosives," I said. And I turned to look at Asami.  
  
Well, it was more of a glare. "What the bloody hell are...?!"  
  
"They're for my new mining operations," Asami said. "I have a city to rebuild."  
  
I stopped. It was a reasonable reply. But I had questions. So many of them. "What has happened here?"  
  
"They stole some of my mining equipment from my warehouse several nights ago," Asami answered. "And I've had a few thefts before that. So I planted a tracking beacon in one of the crates. I knew my Mark II needed a proper test run under stress conditions."  
  
I had more questions, but before I could ask them the building shook. "Was that the building...?", I said.  
  
"The structure must have taken damage during the fight," Asami answered. "Some of these buildings are cheaply made."  
  
"Leave it to the Triads to be cheap with the contractors," I muttered. Granted, the prolonged timing didn't seem quite right to me. I grabbed Liara's wrist. "Come along!"  
  
"But what about them?", Liara asked.  
  
  
I looked back and I frowned. There were something like eight Triad members who were scattered about the place and would be crushed. I calculated if we had time to get any out. "How much would it stretch your biotics to hold them all at once?", I asked her.  
  
"Too far," she said. But her eyes didn't waver. "But I'll try."  
  
She used dark energy to pull the unconscious Triad members one by one toward us Once they were together she let out a gasp and formed a biotic bubble around them. I reinforced it with my sonic disruptor. "Let's hope this works." I looked up and saw some of the roof starting to fall away.  
  
"I've got an idea," I heard Asami say.  
  
Asami had already put her helmet back on and turned toward the nearest wall. She seemed to be examining it for a moment, after which she brought up both hands. Twin repulsor beams shot her palms and blasted away part of the wall, revealing a hole out to the street large enough to get the bubble through. She stepped out of it and turned back to us. This time she held up her right arm and revealed a launcher within the forearm. When it fired, it was revealed as a grappling hook with a cable tied to it.  
  
A guided grappling hook, as that. It circled around the bubble and latched onto its own cable. Asami activated the flying repulsors in her boots, not to fly but to hover just over the ground. She began to pull us out of the collapsing warehouse, using both the motor to retract the grappling line and her backward movement . There were strain in her eyes through the visor during the entire process, and once we were safely out she fell to a knee.  
  
Liara collapsed into my arms. "I've got you," I said. I looked at Asami. "We need to talk." She nodded and started to stand again. I reached in and pulled out the TARDIS control. "We'll fire off a call to Chief Beifong about this and head to your place."  
  
"You want to see what I'm doing." It wasn't a question.  
  
"To be frank?" I nodded. "Yes. Because this..." I shook my head. "We'll talk about it when we're safe in your place, alright?"  
  
Asami sighed. "Right," she agreed.  
  
  
  
  
Liara was napping in the library recliner by the time I materialized the TARDIS on Asami's property. I took the time to step out and look over the Sato family mansion before the streak in the night sky I saw coming from the city arrived. Neither of us said anything at first. Asami stomped her battlesuit into the shed at the back of the property. And it became rather clear what she had done.  
  
From there we took a secret entrance built into the floor of the shed, leading us ultimately to a cavernous underground space, formerly a factory for her father and his Equalist partners to build mechatanks for Amon. Now it was mostly unused saved for some familiar pieces of equipment. I noticed the industrial fabricators, the holographic computer interface systems, everything I had made possible.  
  
And some things I hadn't.  
  
Along one wall, in a port built to support it, was a mechatank with an opening in it for a Stark reactor (or Arc reactor). The Mark I, I supposed.  
  
In the fabricator was another suit. This one was Asami's size, made to fit her directly, colored in the same dark red and black. It had an incomplete look to it.  
  
Asami went to a point between the two. Servos whirred, latches shifted, and piece by piece the suit was removed by robotic arms driven by pneumatic steam drives. I had to smile thinly at that; wherever the knowledge she'd gleaned during her time in the TARDIS was insufficient, she made up for it with the technology she was familiar with.  
  
But I only smiled thinly. As I watched her emerge, even that vanished.  
  
Asami's hair was unkempt like before, but only now in this light could I see the bags under her eyes, the strain in her features, the lost weight in her frame, and how wrinkled and worn her customary suit looked. "I see you're putting your father's secret factory to good use," I remarked flippantly.  
  
Asami nodded and walked up to the computer interface. She ran her hands over one section of it and went through options until she found the Mark II's schematics. She tapped the shoulder and reached down to her keyboard. She tapped away at it and the shoulder turned red. "Trouble?", I asked.  
  
"The targeting systems on my main sedative dart launcher didn't work," she explained. "I had to use the backup, which can only fire two."  
  
"Ah." I found myself crossing my arms, and I know my expression was most, well, cross. Asami didn't seem to bother looking back at me until she'd checked off what I presumed to be all of the systems tests she had run. Finally, I decided to speak again, and I also decided to be forward. "Korra thinks she might have said something to upset you."  
  
Asami froze.  
  
"You don't talk to her anymore," I continued. "Or to Mako. He's not quite so worried, thinks it's just you having a lot of work. But Korra... entirely different story. It doesn't help that you're not around when she's dealing with how the press has taken her criticism of Raiko and Kuvira."  
  
"She'll understand," Asami said, her voice sounding soft. Almost deceptively so. "I know she'll understand."  
  
"Will she?" I stopped for a moment and looked around. I spread my arms to take in what she put in this place. "What _is this_ , Asami? I brought you this technology because you wanted to make your world better. You wanted clean energy to avoid the problems of other worlds I showed you. You wanted to _go to the stars_. But this... what is this?" I pointed to each of her battlesuits. "This isn't what you said you wanted, Asami. So why are you wearing yourself out trying to build these things?"  
  
When she turned to face me, her eyes were tearing up, and her look was determined and angry and.... afraid. "This is for _her_ ," Asami insisted. "This is so I can _protect her_."  
  
I looked at her. "I don't think Korra would want you to give up what you wanted like this, Asami," I said softly. "And she certainly isn't happy that you've made yourself into a hermit. Korra would want you to follow your dreams and build that world you talked about so much, not waste time because you think she needs protection..."  
  
Asami clenched her fists. "You don't understand," she said. Her voice was quivering with emotion. "You weren't there! You weren't in my place!"  
  
I started to speak but remained silent, settling on looking at her intently.  
  
"You don't know what it was like for me." Asami's voice took on a low tone, but it didn't lose that tinge to it, that feeling of vibrating with pent-up energy, threatening to give way. "Do you know what happened when we went after Unalaq?"  
  
I tried to remember the details. "Some, yes."  
  
"Do you know where I was when Korra was fighting for her life?", Asami asked, still with that fragile calm.  
  
"If I remember correctly, you brought her injured father to safety, to get his wounds treated," I answered carefully.  
  
"Yes." Now there was some bitterness in her tone as well. "Because that's all I could do. They went to fight Unalaq and Vaatu and I had to be _left behind_." Tears started flowing down her eyes. "And Korra lost her connection to her past lives because of that."  
  
"Asami..."  
  
"And _then_ ," she continued, her voice growing in volume, matching the pain evident in it while the control from before slipped. "... _then_ Zaheer forced her into that trap. And all I could do was carry Tenzin. And when we all saw Korra was fighting for her life against Zaheer, all I could do was _watch_." The tears flowed freely from her eyes now. Her face twisted into an expression of anguish and her voice began to crack, giving way to the feeligns that had made it seem to crackle before. "Don't you understand? I couldn't do anything for her! I don't have bending, I just have an electric glove and defense training! That's nothing against some of the things she fights! And I... I can't go through that again. That's why I _have_ to do this."  
  
I nodded gently. "I'm sorry." A part of me knew she never would have endured such helplessness if I had come to help like I had promised to do. And another part of me sympathized with her feelings. My mind went to images that would always haunt me. Jan and Cami being taken by the Borg. Watching Schala get drawn into that Gate.  
  
Seeing what was left of Katherine after the bomb.  
  
"With this...." Asami gestured toward the holographic display of her Mark II suit. "...that won't happen again. Once I perfect the design, I can fight alongside Korra all the time, no matter what! I'll never have to watch her suffer again!"  
  
I tried to think of a way to reply, but I couldn't. I could understand perfectly that emotion. Indeed, how could I have not realized what I was doing when I gave her this technology? Had I been so focused on Korra's needs that I forgot Asami's?  
  
When I thought about that, I knew the answer. Yes. Yes I had. Because I had held myself responsible for what happened to Korra, for not being there for her. And I had never realized how much worse it was for Asami, who _had_ been there... where she had been _helpless_.  
  
Liara, Jan and Cami, sometimes they are right. I can be _oblivious._  
  
I'd been trying to help Asami realize her dreams. But I hadn't been giving her any help where she truly needed it.  
  
"I should have known," I sighed. Asami used her forearm to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I should have recognized the signs during our trip, but I was so..." I stopped and stepped up to Asami, who let me put my hand on her shoulder. "Asami, I understand. Really, I do. But this... this isn't going to fix the past."  
  
"It means it won't be repeated," Asami insisted.  
  
"Maybe, but what good will it do if you drive away the people you care for?", I answered. "Look at yourself, Asami. Look at what you're doing to yourself. You're trying to run your company, rebuild Republic City, _and_ do all this? You're wearing yourself so thin you won't be able to help anyone, Asami, especially not Korra."  
  
She lowered her eyes, the tears still flowing from them. "I can't let her fight alone again," Asami said. "I can't lose her."  
  
"I'm not telling you to stop," I said. "I'm just telling you that you need to pace yourself about this, Asami. Go get some good home cooking, relax your body and mind, and have a good night's sleep." I stepped past her and up to her interface. Running my hand through it, I dismissed the schematics of the Mark II. Most of the data Asami had in the system was technical data, but I did find what I had been looking for. I pulled up the listing of stolen property. "And tomorrow, maybe I can help you get to the bottom of this business with the thefts."  
  
"Aren't you looking for that Crack in the universe?", she asked.  
  
"Yes, but no leads. Scans are negative now," I pointed out. "But someone at that warehouse was exposed. And someone who was at the banquet." My expression darkened. "I don't think it's mere coincidence."  
  
Asami nodded and let out a small yawn. "Do you need a room?"  
  
"No, not at all," I said. "Slept nice. And Liara will need the night to recover her strength, so she'll be fine where she is." I swept my hand to minimize all of the data. "I may make some use of the pool, though. And the library. And certainly the pantry, most certainly the pantry. Time Lord metabolism to sate and all that..."  
  
  
  
  
It was in the early morning when Liara woke up and found me in the control room playing with a device I'd been putting together. She looked at it closely. "That's... Shepard had something like that in her Citadel apartment. She called it an egg beater?"  
  
"Ha! Yes," I said. I held up the device in question which did indeed have an egg beater as part of its arrangement. "Excellent quality to the material, I must say. But she's not made for egg preparation."  
  
"Does Asami know you're using her kitchen utensils to create... whatever that is?"  
  
"Well, probably not," I conceded. "But she won't mind. This... this is how we're going to catch that triad. I've fine-tuned it for minute traces of temporal energy."  
  
"You mean your sonic screwdriver won't work?"  
  
"It would, but I'll be holding that in reserve," I said. "Never know what we'll run into, eh?"  
  
"I imagine it'll be trouble. Like always." Liara leaned over the railing around the main controls. "So what are you going to do about Asami?"  
  
I sighed at that. "Whatever seems best for her. I..." I let out a sigh and plopped myself down on the flight of stairs leading up to the wall of the control room. "I never saw it. She didn't really show it, mind you, but I should have thought of that."  
  
"She cares a great deal about Korra?"  
  
"More than I might have imagined," I said. "Now that I think about it, it was obvious that the wound from her helplessness was deep.,"  
  
"I know something about those kinds of emotions," Liara commented. "I should talk to her."  
  
"If you think it will help.." I checked one final setting. "Alright. I think we're ready. Ready for more walking?"  
  
"Are you sure about that?" Liara frowned. "Given how large this city is, we might make better time with a vehicle."  
  
"True," I conceded. "But it lacks that... flair that comes from walking down the streets."  
  
"Yes, how could I have forgotten?", Liara said, annoyed humor in her voice. "We should do the least-reasonable thing because it gives us more 'flair'."  
  
I faux-glared at her. "Oi, you take all the fun out of it."  
  
"And walking until my feet are sore would take the fun out of it for me," Liara replied.  
  
"Spoilsport," I replied.  
  
After finishing my device I went toward the TARDIS controls. I started the process of shifting us back to the destroyed warehouse at the edge of the Spirit Wilds when there was a knock at the door. Liara opened it. "Miss Sato?"  
  
Asami stepped in, wearing that field get-up she always preferred. She looked rather refreshed now and very... well, Asami-like. "I've let my office know I'm going to be unavailable today," she said. "So, where do we start?"  
  
Liara and I looked at each other. "You're going to ask her, aren't you?", I said. "You're going to ask..."  
  
Liara smirked and turned to Asami. "You have a vehicle, yes?"  
  
Asami replied with a smirk. "Depends. Am I driving?"  
  
I sighed. "You're going to take us in that lovely high performance sports car, aren't you? And then race us along the roads."  
  
She gave me an amused look. And then her face turned quizzical. "Is that the egg-beater I bought for Mako's Grandmother Jun?"  
  
  
  
  
I decided I wished she'd taken the sports car.  
  
We moved along in a large vehicle the size of a cargo truck, but made to look like the 1920s equivalent of a van. The why was very obvious given what was in the back. "So you're bringing the Mark II?", I asked her. "Didn't it need some more work?"  
  
"It's fine for now," Asami answered. "I fixed the problem this morning."  
  
"I see." I said nothing more as we pulled up close to the warehouse. Some of Lin Beifong's police were busy going through the wreckage and compiling data. "Hold it..." I held out the device. "Alright... this way." I gestured for her to turn right and Asami did.  
  
"Why didn't you bring the TARDIS?", Asami asked.  
  
"For the same reason you don't bring a loud motor when you've got to listen for something slight and delicate," I answered. "The TARDIS would completely drown the trace elements I'm looking for."  
  
For the next two hours we drove through thick traffic and along byways as I carefully followed the readings. We had to double back more than once given how faint the readings were at times. And having to get around some of the construction made it even harder at times.  
  
"Why did your city give up on trying to remove the vines?", Liara asked.  
  
"Because it can't be done," Asami said. "We tried everything and nothing's worked. Sometimes they would even get worse. So my company put together a reconstruction plan for the city that involved going around the vines."  
  
"That sounds like quite a challenge."  
  
"It's worth it." Asami stared ahead. "It's Korra's vision of the world. Humans and Spirits living together, getting along."  
  
"I see." Liara looked at me and I nodded. "You have a very nice home. How is your family?"  
  
Asami's expression turned a little ashen. She fixed a look at me and I gave my head a small shake. Liara nodded back and took a moment before she spoke again. "I lost my mother a few years ago. She was.. taken by a Reaper. Indoctrinated to serve it." I thought I saw some unshed tears in Liara's eyes. She was undoubtedly remembering Noveria. "I was there. My mother managed to free herself at the end. But we had to kill her to stop the Reapers."  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that," Asami said. "My father didn't have that kind of excuse when he tried to kill me."  
  
"Goddess. Asami, I didn't know..."  
  
"I lost my mother when I was a little girl," Asami continued. "He was all I had for over ten years, and we were close. Or at least I thought we were. But he hid things from me." A tear appeared on her eye. Her voice sounded like it was getting distant. "He became an Equalist and helped Amon attack the city. And when I wouldn't join him, he..."  
  
I almost expected Liara to repeat her favored "Goddess" line, but she didn't. She just shook her head. "That's horrible. Is he..."  
  
"He's in prison," she said. "Where he's going to stay for all I care." There was a real heat in her voice when she said that.  
  
I gave Liara a warning glance. Before either of us could say anything, Asami continued. "All I have left is Korra," she said. "Which is why we're out here. Whatever is going on, we need to stop it so that Korra doesn't have to get mixed up in it too. She has enough problems right now."  
  
"Maybe you should talk to her, then?", Liara suggested. "It seemed to me that she was hurt by your lack of communication."  
  
Asami's eyes tightened. I glanced back to my scanner and was very thankful to see that the power levels had spiked again. Relatively, at least. It gave me an excuse to intervene before an argument could break out. "Looks like we're on the right track," I said. "The temporal energy source is definitely increasing."  
  
I directed Asami down the road until we reached the end of it. At least, the new end of it, given the curtain of vines hanging over it and the one thick vine cutting off half of the road. I held up the scanner and sighed. "It's in there."  
  
"How safe is it in there?", asked Liara.  
  
"They're starting to give tours," Asami answered. "Some of the new Air Nation members are usually the tour guides."  
  
"Interesting idea there," I murmured. "Well, let's head on." I stepped out of the van and helped Liara out. Asami, however, climbed over the seat into the back. I looked back in to see her getting ready to open her prone suit. "You realize we will likely require some stealth, right?"  
  
"I know," she said. "I'm just turning on the remote piloting system."  
  
I blinked and furrowed my brow. "Asami, you're a brilliant and inventive young woman, I don't doubt that. But I know that even you couldn't pick up software coding that quickly."  
  
"I didn't," she answered. "I just loaded that guidance program template from your rocket flight package into the Mark II."  
  
"So... it thinks your suit is a rocket?", Liara asked.  
  
"Yes. All it will operate are the flight controls." She sighed. "I'm going to have to replace the back of the vehicle if we do need it."  
  
"Let's be careful about it then, eh? We find what's going on and we get out, no fuss?"  
  
Liara and Asami looked at each other knowingly and then at me. They crossed their arms.  
  
I shook my head. "Yes, I know, too much to ask, isn't it?"  
  
"Always," Liara stated.  
  
And so we set off into the Spirit Wilds.  
  
  
  
  
The Spirit Wilds were an interesting experience. There was a sort of energy around them, an aura, that didn't exist elsewhere in the city. I had felt a tinge of it in the Southern Tribe when living there, though, and so I wasn't surprised to feel it here. Of course, since this place wasn't home to a spirit world portal, the energy was very faint once you got to its periphery and non-existent beyond that. Inside, though? Oh yes, quite noticeable.  
  
And there were the spirits themselves. Some looked like animals, some looked like wisps of air or walking plants or just small indistinct shapes with eyes and an optional mouth. They paid us little heed.  
  
"It must be odd for your people." Liara looked away from the small bulb-shaped blue sprite bouncing on a vine nearby. "Living with such creatures in the heart of your city."  
  
"Over the last two years we've pretty used to it." Asami looked at one of the taller spirits, this one in the shape of a stork-like thing. "This is what Korra wanted anyway. Humans and spirits living in peace together."  
  
"It's not always easy, of course," Liara said. "My people had enough problems adjusting to the existence of alien species. If we had to share Thessia with an alien race it might have been even harder."  
  
I almost made a remark about how her species viewed other species now, but that would be tasteless, wouldn't it?  
  
I had been worried, briefly, that the latent energies in the Spirit Wild would obscure the temporal energy signature much like the TARDIS would have. But I found it was still remaining strong. More strong than I'd imagined, actually.  
  
It took us a while but we found a building well within the wilds, just north of the center. I noticed the temporal energy signature growing stronger as we walked past it and a quick sweep confirmed that it seemed to be coming... well, not within the building, not precisely. But.... a ha. "Underground," I murmured.  
  
"What?", Liara asked.  
  
Asami's eyes lit up. "Of course. The underground tunnels. They stretch for miles around the main city."  
  
"And what better place to have a concealed entrance to your underground base than the middle of a spirit-filled forest Humans don't live in anymore?", I added. I continued walking along until I found a door. I held my hand back and fished out my sonic screwdriver. I handed the temporal scanner to Asami. "There." I held out the sonic and scanned the door. "Locked. Not sure if anyone is inside, definitely not on the first story. Now give me a moment..." I started running the sonic over the door. I didn't quite hear the cheerful little "click!" when the lock tripped. "Well, let's see what we have in here," I said, putting the sonic back in my pocket. Or rather a pocket. I had a feeling about this...  
  
As expected, the first floor was vacant. It too had been a warehouse of some sort, although the entrance was a business area. It looked abandoned now, and eerily so. A snapshot to what things had been like before Vaatu came along.  
  
We left the office area and came to the vacant warehouse. Vines had torn out one wall and left half the space choked with their presence. Old boxes could still be seen here and there. I looked over them all. Behind me, Asami was starting to turn toward a far wall. "The trace leads this way."  
  
I was busy looking at the boxes. They all looked old and unused, but there was something off... ah. I could see it now. "The dust on that long box has been disturbed," I said, moving over to it at a brisk pace. I drew the attention of the others before I got to it and knelt over. I felt along the lid and could see where it had been moved recently, halfway off. So I pushed it to that point.  
  
And looked into a pair of cold, dead eyes.  
  
I let out a brief gasp. The others joined me and saw the contents of the box. Liara's jaw hardened and Asami... looked like she would turn sick. Liara activated her omnitool and scanned the body with it. "It looks like a fatal head injury. Something cracked his skull."  
  
I nodded. And as I did, my eyes took in the details. This man... he wasn't right. His clothing was off. The way the dark-colored jacket was worn, the way it looked... this man wasn't from this world at all.  
  
"He's from another world," Asami whispered.  
  
"Most likely," I answered. "Or dressed for the part at least. Here..." I opened up the jacket and noticed the velcro patches that held his belts closed. "Velcro. See? Nice invention, why aren't you running with it yet?"  
  
"I sent early drawings to R&D, actually," Asami countered, keeping her voice low.  
  
"Ah. Good job," I murmured back while checking the pockets. I found something in one of them and pulled it out. "Hrm, what do we have here, a wallet?" I reached for a small pen flashlight I kept in my jacket pocket and used it to illuminate the item.  
  
I read it.  
  
As soon as what I'd read hit me, I dropped it into the box and grabbed at the dead man's left wrist. When I found it was bare save for his long jacket and long-sleeved shirt beneath, I quickly snatched at the right wrist. I admit that I was fairly terrified by the ramifications when it too was bare. "Bloody hell, not this, _not this_ ," I hissed.  
  
"Doctor, what is it?", Liara asked. "What is this man?"  
  
Asami held up the item I'd dropped and was squinting her eyes at it, using a small light of her own. "...a 'Time Agent'?"  
  
I saw her eyes widen as the ramifications occurred to her. I nodded. "Right. And someone took his vortex manipulator."  
  
"You mean his time machine," Asami said.  
  
" _Yes_ ," I hissed. "This... this is bad, _very bad_. Those things, what someone could _do_ with that amount of pow...."  
  
I heard the noise briefly before the attack came, just quickly enough to knock Asami over before something would have struck her in the arm. It instead hit my side below the shoulder with a dull impact, made dull admittedly due to my special vest. Thank you again, Charity and Molly Carpenter.  
  
I rolled off Asami and reached for my sonic disruptor. Asami went to pull out what I presumed was her controls for her Mark II, but before she could get it something struck her arm and sent her flying past me. Liara fell back toward me and generated a biotic field that shielded us from more attacks. I turned back and saw a dark shape rushing toward Asami, who was recovering. I held up the sonic disruptor and gave him a decent setting 4-inspired excuse to stay on the ground, and even as I spoke more objects were striking us, smashing against Liara's biotic field. And I knew we were outnumbered, given the frequency.  
  
"Asami, _run!_ ," I shouted. " _Get back to the van!_ "  
  
"But..." She protested only for a moment before nodding in understand and running toward the side door to the warehouse. Two more dark shapes pursued her and I sent them both sprawling with Setting 4. She got out of the door a second later.  
  
There were ordered shouts from around us. I drew up my sonic disruptor and turned on the deflector. "We just need to buy her time," I whispered to Liara.  
  
"Agreed," Liara replied, while I brought my disruptor up to buoy her biotic sphere. Stones and rock flew at us, being crushed into pulverized powder against the forcefield. But every impact made my arms shudder. I felt Liara's back stiffen and then began sliding down. She was starting to go to a knee from all the energy she had to let out.  
  
Suddenly concrete erupted from the ground inside the sphere. Metal pipes screamed as they rushed through the breaks in the ground like snakes and enveloped us, twisting around us and binding us together before we could get away. My sonic disruptor was knocked from my hand by one of the pipes. With the biotic field falling, it skid to a stop on the nearby ground. Two dark shapes stepped up to it. In the remnant light of the disruptor's tip, I could see them more clearly. Long billowing robes of a very dark color, dark green I thought given the lack of light, and just enough light to see a green with a square cut out of the center placed in the middle of the torso, trimmed with gold to differentiate from the darker green of the top. Black leggings beneath the robes.  
  
The symbol was, of course, the important part.  
  
It was the symbol of the Earth Kingdom.  
  
Which meant that our attackers identities were clear.  
  
Doubly so when I looked to the faces beneath their caps and, despite the dim light, noticed their striking features; particularly the emerald eyes and what most writers would call a piercing nose.  
  
They were Xuandi's escorts.  
  
And they were also, given the garb, members of the Dai Li - the secret police of the Earth Kingdom.  
  
Which made a disturbing amount of sense, come to think of it.  
  
"I think this counts as fuss," I sighed to Liara. "Definitely counts as fuss."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our narrator finds the Crack. He'd do something about it, but he has to deal with the Dai Li conspiracy to destroy the Republic first. One must have good priorities.

Being captured is such a pain.  
  
The Dai Li kept us wrapped up in the metal pipes. An entrance in the warehouse, near where Asami had indicated, led us down into the underground levels. The vines had penetrated down here a swell, but not so prolifically as to block off the whole thing. After going through one thick grouping of vines, our captors brought us to an underground rail platform. It was undoubtedy a refurbished Equalist car, given its look, and it took us along the underground.  
  
I didn't speak during the trip and focused instead on what our captors were going to say, Which proved depressingly little.  
  
My senses began to tingle as we came around a bend and entered a big tunnel. I suddenly had a very bad feeling about just what was on the far side.  
  
My fears were confirmed when we came out into a cavernous complex beneath Republic CIty. All of my attention was on the far wall, where the white light split the masonry. The Crack was fully visible and looked large enough for a person to go through it.  
  
"Doctor, look."  
  
I forced my eyes away from the Crack and looked to the wider side of the chamber.  
  
I had expected an army. I got one. But it was not an army of people, but of metal. The mechatanks of the current era, that is, all shined down and bearing the symbol of the Earth Kingdom. Explicitly the Earth Kingdom and not the styilized markings Kuvira's army preferred.  
  
Our captors put us on a cart and moved us toward the dais raised before the army of mechatanks and their pilots, who saluted the figure in green robes as he saluted them. He turned toward us and, yes, it was Xuandi. "The famous Doctor," he said, pulling gently at his beard. "And his associate? Doctor Liara t'Soni, I believe it was."  
  
"Indeed." I nodded my head in faux courtesy. "King Xuandi."  
  
"My negotiators to the Southern Water Tribe spoke of your expertise in technical issues," Xuandi continued amiably, walking toward us. He looked to our captors. "Guan, Zhang, were they alone?"  
  
"We sent Zhayun and Wenyan after their friend," the woman of the two answered. "I believe she was Asami Sato."  
  
"Ah. Rather interesting." Xuandi folded his arms. "Tell me, Doctor, did you track my agents' movements because of that?" He shifted his head toward the Crack.  
  
Telling the truth did no harm. I nodded. "It's a Crack in the fabric of reality. Spills temporal; energy everywhere. And speaking of that... the dead man we found in that warehouse. He should have had something with him, Xuandi, something incredibly dangerous. The existence of your world, of everything you cherish, may depend upon you being honest with me about where it is."  
  
Xuandi listened to my plea with some intrigue. "The poor man fell through this.. 'Crack' of yours, already dead. We found no devices on him, if that is what you're worried about."  
  
"Are you _sure_ , King Xuandi?", I asked insistantly. "Because the tools of a Time Agent in the wrong hands can spell disaster for this entire world, past and present and future."  
  
"I give you my word, Doctor, that nothing was recovered from him that poses such a threat," Xuandi insisted. "We are curious about the weapon we found with him.." Xuandi took the device in question out.  
  
"Sonic blaster," I sighed.  
  
"Ah. Similar to your infamous devices, then?" Xuandi put it back in his robe's belt. "Well, now that you're here, I suppose I should make use of you. I desire that Crack sealed, Doctor. I won't have my Earth Kingdom being threatened with such a thing."  
  
There was something in the way he said it that made me ponder. After all.. we weren't actually in the Earth Kingdom, were we?  
  
I frowned, and quickly spun that frown into being over something different. "That's a very involved process." As I did so I looked around the room. Not every Dai Li agent was in pilot uniform, or even in uniform. Some seemed to be dressing up for other jobs. I was quite interested to see all of those made up to look like staff. "Being trapped in a metal pipe doesn't help."  
  
Xuandi nodded to one of the two twin Dai Li. The man reached back and with a motion of his arm pulled the pipe off. Regaining the range in my arms was appreciated. "Please, do not abuse my hospitality," he said. "My Dai Li will be very efficient in disposing of you should you try."  
  
I gave a look to Liara. We were at a severe disadvantage, yes, so it was best to play it safe. "Of course," I said to him. I looked over to the wall. I felt slight energy tingling in the air, but not much. The Crack was certainly emitting energy in some slight quantity, matching what I expected. "Don't let anyone near it, for starters. The temporal energy can do weird things. And nasty ones."  
  
"We are not entirely without common sense, Doctor," Xuandi remarked drolly.  
  
"Alright. I'm going to need a bit of time and some materials, then I think I can find a way to snap it closed."  
  
"You'll be granted whatever aid you need," Xuandi said. He nodded to his subordinates. "And I give you my word that if you cooperate, you will be freed."  
  
I nodded, not bothering to voice the reasonable explanation for that. Whatever he planned to do with those mechatanks, he planned to do soon. Tonight, possibly. At the conference?  
  
But what was his plan? Even this force wasn't enough to take over Republic CIty, much less oppose Kuvira's large army. Xuandi was up to something else. And I needed to know.  
  
"I need to see what materials you have in place," I said. "I'm having to wing it here."  
  
Xuandi's expression showed bemused skepticism at that. "I find that hard to believe. A man like you keeps his tools for such work well at hand."  
  
I nodded at him. "Yes, but to be blunt, I don't want to bring my TARDIS here."  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"Well, for starters, moving the TARDIS so close to the Crack can, if done incorrectly, tear the Crack open," I said. Which wasn't a lie. Just an exaggeration, honestly. A teeny one. "And secondly, to be truly honest, I don't want my TARDIS here with your Dai Li, and quite frankly, you don't want it here either. Not with what I could do with the TARDIS." I turned to face him.  
  
Xuandi seemed to be in thought for a moment. "You have a means to bring it here without my involvement," he said plainly. His eyes narrowed. "Which makes me wonder why you would reveal that."  
  
"Honesty. And it benefits me to not get a rock tossed at my head, because of your suspicions."  
  
"Fair enough. Your device, then?"  
  
I started fumbling into my pockets. "Let's see... airship ticket, Rabanastre to Bhujerba, no, bubble gum wrapper, lint, Ankh-Morpork stamps, not that.... ah, sorry!" I flourished my TARDIS locket as I pulled it out of one of my inner jacket pockets. "Sorry, I do carry so much." I smirked at Liara. "As some people complain about."  
  
Liara rolled her eyes at me.  
  
I tossed it to Xuandi, who caught it even as one of the twins, the woman I thought, tried and failed to snatch it in mid-air by metalbending. He gave me a courteous smile before handing the locket to the woman, who showed me a scowl before pocketing it. "Zhang will show you to our storeroom. Guan will remain to execute your friend should you show any signs of treachery."  
  
I nodded and kept aknowing look on my face. Don't you love it when you get such polite warnings about such things?  
  
The woman, evidently Zhang, led me off to another room in the large facility. There I found boxes of materials here and there, including machine tools, radio parts, that sort of thing. And, of course, the completely non-descript boxes in the corner with the Future Industries logo on them. Zhang stepped up toward them to make it clear they were off-limits. That, of course, was perfectly fine by me. I already knew what was in them.  
  
I made a show of acquiring a few devices, a radio and such, and asking to be taken onward. I saw several more storage facilities, but what truly interested me was some of the things I wasn't allowed to see. I began to realize the full scope of this. No wonder Asami reported fluctuations in the power supply of the city. This place was taking a lot of power to run.  
  
Not surprising, really, given its apparent functions.  
  
The storerooms told me something about this place. It wasn't just a secret hidey-hole, it was a _factory_ , and the mechatanks here were most likely the fruits of that factory's efforts.  
  
Building mechatanks here made some of Xuandi's plans rather understandable. Didn't mean I liked them any.  
  
I also realized we were soon going to run out of time.  
  
In each storeroom I took more devices. Sometimes I put a bunch on the provided cart, sometimes I put nothing. And every time, I saw what I needed to see.  
  
I returned to the main chamber to find Xuandi was already gone. Guan was standing near Liara, who kept whatever fear she flet subdued. I could sense she was ready to defend herself. But it wasn't time for that either. I would continue to play along. "I need a hand here," I called out, indicating Liara.  
  
Guan held an arm up to her, refusing to let her pass. He nodded to his... sister, I guess? And Zhang stepped up to take his place while he stepped forward.  
  
Ah. Just what I expected.  
  
"Well, since you've appointed yourself my assistant, first we need to do this...."  
  
For a time we went through the parts I'd gathered and set them up in a certain way. I kept an eye on Liara and Zhang, who was carefully watching me in turn, looking for the slightest sign of treachery I suppose, and with the kind of cold calm that you get from hardened killers.  
  
Slowly the device took shape, a mass of wires and radio bits and other things that formed what looked to be a taser for a mecha suit. Which was intentional on my part, of course. The thing had to look its part.  
  
Although I remained pretty focused on my task, I did keep an eye out for what was going on. Namely, all of those mechatanks being given checks that looked pretty final. Whatever Xuandi was planning, he would do it soon.  
  
I stalled as long as I could. But the machine was clearly done. I fidgeted iwth one part when a harsh female voice barked, "Enough!" I turned and saw Zhang extend an arm toward LIara. The glint of metal was at the end of it, pointed at Liara's throat. "Your machine is complete. Use it as you said it would be used, or I will consider this treachery."  
  
I looked up at her with irritation that was all too real. "Oh, so _you're_ the expert on cracks through the fabric of space-time, are you? Because if you know what to do, I'd love to hear it. How many of these things have you dealt with anyway?"  
  
Zhang's look was cold. "What I do have experience with is treachery and deceit," she answered. "And I am now convinced that is exactly what you have done here. You have abused our leader's manners and trust."  
  
"Your leader is about to launch an attack on the city under flag of truce," I replied. "After he blows up Raiko and Kuvira and everyone at the conference."  
  
For a moment, Zhang's eyes lost their hardness, showing shock and surprise. Then the harsh look returned. "What do you know of this?"  
  
I clucked my tongue. "What, that? Oh, not hard, not hard at all. I figure the Triads are the initial scapegoats, yes? Turn the technology thefts from Future Industries into something bigger and badder, your little army here, and blame them. But the plastic explosives, now those gave you away. Blow up the conference, you kill Raiko and Kuvira, two birds with one stone. Not hard to figure out the game plan from there, is it? Have some Dai Li infiltrator in the Republic government provide you with forged documents, make it look like a plot gone awry, Xuandi barely survives it, and in one swoop he not only makes himself the aggrieved party, he gives Kuvira's army an enemy to avenge her death upon, and places himself as the obvious candidate for their loyalty in doing so. And his mechatank forces here, while not big enough to hold the city against the Republic forces, _is_ strong enough to cripple the Republic's military infrastructure. Then all he has to do is get Kuvira's army to march in and, oh, I guess the rhetoric would be 'restore Yu Dao and other lands to their rightful place'? That about fit it? After all, an Earth Kingdom traditionalist like him probably looks at the map of the world and feels a little twist of hate whenever he sees the Republic's place on it." I saw the anger flash in Zhang's eyes. "Or like you, I imagine."  
  
"You think you are clever," Zhang spat. "You think you are smart. But nothing you do will stop King Xuandi from restoring our Kingdom to its full glory."  
  
I smirked a little at that. "Well, we'll have to see. Because, you know what I am?" I allowed the smile to vanish. "I'm a Time Lord. I've faced down mad gods and galaxy-conquering hordes and all sorts of things that make you and your master look like pebbles before a mountain." I frowned. "And I'll remind you that there are people at that conference I _care about_. And if your master so much as singes a hair on their heads, I will show him what it means to provoke the fury of a Time Lord."  
  
Zhang snarled. "You seek to threaten him? To threaten the Dai Li?"  
  
"Oh, this isn't a threat," I said. "It's a promise. If you do anything to hurt a friend of mine, someone that I care about, _that I love_ , I will _make you pay_. Just as I did to the last fools who harmed one of my Companions." I noticed Liara looking at me with concern. I didn't return the look.  
  
Ever since I had realized what Xuandi's plot was, I felt a growing anger inside of me. A fear, too. A fear of being too late. A fear that I would arrive only to find the blasted ruins of many people I considered friends.  
  
A fear that I would once again look into a shining blue eye that had once held so much life, an eye that once belonged to a friend and Companion who had held so much brilliance and promise, reduced to the only recognizable part of a body utterly destroyed by blast and flame.  
  
If Korra were to suffer the same fate as Katherine... well, I didn't want to think it. Not after we had come so far, done so much, and seen her grow so much in her role as the Avatar.  
  
Zhang's expression only became harder. "You have just earned your friend's death, Doctor." And with a move of her fingers she sent a metal spike right at Liara's throat.  
  
Biotic energy caught it in mid-flight. Liara's biotics had flared to life in an instant to intercept the fatal projectile. Her arm came up and a blast of biotic power gripped Zhang, who screamed in pain as she collapsed, enduring the effects of the warp field upon her body.  
  
"Zhang!" Guan's control seemed to slip at seeing his relative go down. He adopted an Earthbending stance and started throwing rocks at Liara, trying to break through her biotic defenses.  
  
Which left me to do the fun part.  
  
One of the advantages to the vest Charity and Molly had given me, beyond the armored materials and the magic defensive enchantments anyway, was that it was just bulky enough to cover for hiding things within it. I pulled out the sonic screwdriver.  
  
I turned as the first Dai Li mechatanks started to move, responding to the outbreak of fighting up where we were, and held the screwdriver toward the device I had cobbled together with the assistance of the Dai Li. I activated my screwdriver.  
  
And the device promptly took the output from it, amplified said output, and started sending out waves of disruptive energy. The closest mechatanks didn't explode themselves, but the control systems within did. Anything that used electricity overloaded and mechatank after mechatank began to emit sparks and smoke from every crevice, not to mention the open cockpits.  
  
This continued until my machine fell apart. Well, not actually falling apart, more like being ripped apart by one bloody irate metalbender. Zhang screamed rage at me. With a movement of her arm she pulled some of the metal debris up and threw it at me. It slammed into my chest and knocked me backward. Any further damage was, of course, negated by the vest.  
  
It also kept me from getting the wind knocked out of me as roughly as it should have been. I held up my sonic screwdriver and activated my remote feature for my sonics. The sonic disruptor tore Zhang's cloth belt with the force it flew from her, flying across the air until its tip and my sonic's tip were touching. I used my other hand to grab it and generate a deflector shield just before the next bits of metal, all quite sharp, came at me.  
  
Zhang's attack stopped when Guan flew into her, courtesy of a counter-attack from Liara's biotics. The two rolled around once and came to a stop, piled together and winded for the moment. I wasn't going to let them have that moment, obviously, so I brought my sonic disruptor up and set it to setting 21, aka the "Killer headache" setting. It's not one I employ often. It feels wrong to trigger pain intentionally. But it does no damage to the body and debilitates attackers quickly and with minimal fuss, so a little pain in exchange for something more permament like, oh, getting my skull crushed by a rock, well, that's something I admittedly find preferable.  
  
Of course, Zhang had also destroyed my machine before it disabled all the mechatanks, so those were now a threat. Liara and I turned toward them as a half-dozen mechatanks started moving past the disabled ones. And even more were behind them. "What do we do now?", Liara asked.  
  
"Well, I'm about to suggest we run as fast as we can," I said. "But..."  
  
I could already hear the slight roar coming from the tunnel. So I wasn't surprised, certainly, when Asami burst out of it in her Mark II suit. She spotted the Dai Li mechatanks and flew into the nearest, knocking its legs out from under it. She turned and her right hand extended. The repulsor in the glove fired a bolt of light that blasted away the armored skin of another of the mechatanks and looked to have damaged the main control machinery, causing it to fall over.  
  
Another tried to sneak up on Asami, but Liara caught it with a burst of biotic power that sent it flying. Asami spun around and blasted the mecha's left leg off with her repulsors. I used my sonic disruptor on a third, burning down the capacity with one solid bolt to send it flying.  
  
Liara and I could help, but in that Starktech suit, Asami was virtually unstoppable. The electric bursts from the mechatanks' weapons crackled over the protected skin without effect. The flamethrowers did even less. One of the pilots, recognizing this, simply charged and started swinging. He - or she - caught Asami by surprise enough to grab her and send her flying into the nearest wall. The mecha suit picked up a long and jagged piece of debris from the fight and lunged at her with it while LIara and I were still occupied with the others. Asami moved at the last moment to avoid impalement, or at least personal impalement. The rod was driven with enough force from the mechatank to actually break through the armor slightly with a metallic scream of protest.  
  
Asami hardly seemed to notice. She kicked the attacker back and blasted him with both hands, completely disabling the suit. She stopped for a moment, undoubtedly checking the damage, and with one movement shot the legs out from under a mechatank coming at Liara and myself.  
  
"I was wondering where you were," I said.  
  
"Doctor!"  
  
I turned to where Liara was looking.  
  
Guan and Zhang were gone.  
  
That... was actually quite scary. I blinked, in fact. The neural disruptor should have put them out for hours.  
  
Asami stepped up behind us and pulled off her helmet. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Those agents that Xuandi left to guard us. They're gone." Liara frowned. "And they took the Doctor's TARDIS locket with them."  
  
"Actually, no," I said, reaching into my vest and the compartment therein. When I pulled my hand out, I held my TARDIS remote in my hand.  
  
Liara blinked. "What is that?"  
  
"TARDIS remote," I said. I felt a grin split my face. "After a couple of close calls with losing it, I made a duplicate."  
  
"But can't she steal the TARDIS now?", Liara asked.  
  
"She doesn't ahve the psionic link ability or the necessary thought patterns for the TARDIS to answer her," I said. "Besides, I disabled the control feature and activated my backup. Will leave a minute energy trace on anyone who touched the control."  
  
Liara smiled at that. "Including Xuandi."  
  
"Exactly," I answered. "Not that we'll have much problems finding him right now. But it could be useful if we have to chase him through Republic City." I checked my time piece. "We need to be going, now," I said.  
  
Asami recognized what I meant. "The conference?"  
  
"Yes." I frowned. "Xuandi's going to use your plastic explosives to blow everyone to bits."  
  
  
  
Thanks to the timely arrival of Asami, we were able to make our escape by TARDIS after taking the time to procure some useful things in our immediate vicinity - specifically, a schematic print. I felt fortunate that I'd taken the time to scan the boxes in the store room during our captivity, which allowed me to escape the necessity of going back and risking the Dai Li regrouping to stop me or shifting the TARDIS around that Crack.  
  
I would have just closed the thing, but we didn't have time for that. Zhang and Guan had proven rather robust, and if they got to Xuandi before I was ready, he might trigger his plot early.  
  
Once we were in the TARDIS I started twisting knobs and dials, zeroing in on the trace energies left by Xuandi after his exposure to my decoy remote. Other energy traces showed for Zhang and Guan, but they stopped quickly enough that I realized they had figured out what the tracer was for. I felt thankful, at least, that Xuandi hadn't figured it out, or had considered it a low risk for the moment.  
  
Or he had set a trap for me, I suppose. Which was why it was a good thing I wasn't actually going head directly to where he was.  
  
Once we were shifted out I pulled out my sonic and held it toward Asami. "What's this?", she asked. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Software patch," I explained. "Whatever scanners you cobbled together for your Mark II suit, this will allow you to track those plastic explosives..." I narrowed my eyes. "Why _did_ you start making plastic explosives anyway?"  
  
Asami noticed my look and crossed her armored arms. "Because our railroads needed shock-hardened alloy steel."  
  
I blinked. "Oh. Right. I sometimes forget plastique has other uses. Never mind that... you can track explosives now. Their unique chemical signature. The moment we arrive, I need you to go everywhere in the building and disable them all."  
  
"And what are you going to be doing?", Asami asked.  
  
"What I do best." I winked at her. "I'm going to put on a show."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our narrator confronts Xuandi at the conference. Of course, when dealing with these sorts of villains, you always have to be on the lookout for the unexpected.

I made an entrance.  
  
Well, first I dropped Asami off in a side corridor at Republic City's main government building. Then I made the grand entrance.  
  
When I stepped out of the TARDIS, I was faced with a series of tables facing each other in a circle. One was manned by Xuandi and a couple civilian minders, another by Kuvira, Bataar Jr., and Varrick. Surprisingly Bolin was seated with Korra and Tenzin, with Opal at his side and Jinora beyond her. Whether this meant a demonstration of loyalty in the dispute or Kuvira intentionally trying to showcase her acceptance of Bolin's old bonds, I wasn't sure. And at the head of the tables, with one of their own, Raiko and Prince Wu were flanked by aides. There were further personnel scattered about here and there as well, including some uniformed RCPD officers. No sign of Lin, though.  
  
"Ah, gentlemen and ladies," I said, bowing respectfully. "So sorry."  
  
Raiko looked like he was about to turn purple. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?!", he demanded.  
  
"Oh, just a little matter I have to finish." I noticed Korra's curious look, though appreciative - she clearly wasn't enjoying herself - and smiled at her, and then at Xuandi.  
  
Oh, he was good. Xuandi didn't twitch a muscle. He didn't ask about his Dai Li people. He realized what was happening and was letting me play this out. Good man, that. Bought time for his people to make things happen, and to give him time to escape.  
  
It also gave Asami time to finish off his bombs.  
  
"I'm afraid this entire conference is a charade," I said. I looked to Korra. An involuntary surge of relief came to me. I hadn't been too late after all. "There is treachery afoot."  
  
Kuvira stood. "What do you mean, Doctor?"  
  
"Yes." There was something... dangerous in Xuandi's voice. "What do you mean?"  
  
He was still stalling for time, of course. And he would be no less dangerous when I explained what was going on. Cornered foes and all that, you know how it is.  
  
"As we speak, there is a small force of mechatanks beneath the city that I was required to disable." Xuandi didn't even _twitch_ at that. Oh, he was good. Seeing the expressions on the others, I continued by producing the schematic I had picked up and handing it to Korra. "Recognize these?"  
  
"They look like smaller versions of Equalist mechatanks," Korra answered.  
  
"Say, let me see that," Varrick requested. Korra used Airbending to pass the sheet over the gap between their tables. Bataar was looking over Varrick's shoulder as he caught the schematic. "Well I'll be a hog-monkey's uncle. These are _our_ mechatanks, the first models! Straight from my joint designs with Future Industries!"  
  
"So Kuvira has been hiding a mechatank army under the City this entire time?", Xuandi asked, playfully going along. Now he really was starting to worry me. Had I missed something about him? Some calculation I...  
  
I swallowed and looked at him intently. _Oh no. No, he can't be that foolish. It... it wouldn't work anyway..._  
  
I forced my concern down. One thing at a time. I had to make sure he wasn't going to blow us all up first.  
  
Kuvira was reserved in her reply. "No. The Republic has been my strongest supporter. That is not _my_ army down there."  
  
"But they are your machines," Tenzin said. "Your..."  
  
Before Tenzin could continue, the door burst open. Asami flew in, much to the surprise of the attending, but instead of stopping she went to a table at a far wall and pulled a plant out of a vase. She turned it over and dumped a plastic explosive device out. It wasn't a whole lot, but it certainly would have killed everyone on that side of the room. Including, I hasten to add, Korra and everyone at her table.  
  
Asami pulled the detonator off of the block of explosives and crushed it in her armored hand. "There, that's all of them," she said.  
  
Since her voice was only slightly filtered through the mechanical speakers of the suit, it was plainly evident to all who was inside.  
  
"As-Asami?", Korra stammered in disbelief. "What... what is that?"  
  
Varrick's reaction was more predictable. "Now see, _that_ 's the kind of thing I could do if we worked together, Doctor. Imagine a whole army of them, keeping the Earth Kingdom safe!"  
  
"Miss Sato." Raiko's voice made it clear he was quite, well, peeved is a good way to put it. "Please explain what's going on."  
  
"I was investigating thefts from my company when the Doctor and I found a warehouse still inside the Spirit Wilds," Asami answered. She pointed to Xuandi. "He's been hiring Triads to steal my machinery and technology for his own use. Even my company's plastic explosive materials."  
  
"And you have.... proof of this extraordinary claim?", Xuandi said simply.  
  
Asami, as it turned out, had indeed been thinking ahead. She opened a compartment near her damaged side and revealed papers covered in Earth Kingdom language. "This. I found it in the warehouse inside the Spirit Wilds. The head of the Triple Threat Triads, naming you _personally_ as a client."  
  
I blinked at that while drawing my sonic screwdriver. "So that's why you took so long to find us?"  
  
Asami didn't answer. She presented the paper to Tenzin, who looked it over. "It looks genuine," he said.  
  
Xuandi frowned and looked to Korra. "Avatar, you can't believe this kind of faulty evidence, can you? This is an attempt to discredit me."  
  
Korra had been gawking at Asami at that moment, but she turned to face Xuandi and frowned. "I trust them completely," she said. "You've been lying to me."  
  
Xuandi narrowed his eyes and stood. "Very well. This charade should end now."  
  
The people flanking him stood and assumed Earthbending fighting stances. But the real surprise was at the other table. Specifically, Raiko and Wu, who were suddenly grabbed and hauled up by two of the functionaries that had technically been theirs. "Hey, I'm very sensitive, and you're ruining my coat!", Wu protested.  
  
He quieted when the metal blade went toward his neck.  
  
"I had hoped to do this cleanly," Xuandi said. He directed a look at me. "But you leave me no choice, Doctor. We will do this the hard way. The time has come for us to reverse the grave crime of Avatar Aang and his generation. It is time for the Harmony Restoration Movement to be fulfilled as originally promised to my people. The Earth Kingdom must be made whole."  
  
"These people aren't yours anymore," I said. "They've forged a new identity. You'll be a conqueror and they'll fight."  
  
"The Dai Li is used to dealing with those who defy the needs of our nation," Xuandi answered simply.  
  
I... hadn't actually expected him to reveal his true affiliation. It had the effect, drawing stares of absolute disbelief and horror. "You are Dai Li," Kuvira said. "The Earth Queen had the Dai Li take over the government of Omashu?"  
  
"Omashu was a potential source of disorder in the Earth Kingdom," Xuandi answered. "It was necessary to ensure its loyalty." Xuandi moved his hands together and gripped his wrists. "General Kuvira, despite my concerns about you, I do feel your loyalty is genuine. As a loyal subject of the Earth Kingdom, I ask you to join me. Together we will topple this Republic, this... _insult_ to our Kingdom, and finally see justice for the Hundred Years War. Nothing can oppose us if we work together."  
  
I held my hand up, my signal to Liara and Asami to not yet attempt to go after the Dai Li. And as I did so, my mental calculations went into overdrive. If Kuvira actually did go with Xuandi...  
  
She studied him for a moment. "You're the old world, Xuandi," she said, keeping her tone level. "A fossil of a past that's not coming back. Our people need new ideas, and you don't have any. You and your Dai Li are just the last gasps of a corrupt and failed system that was due to die anyway."  
  
And that... actually seemed to get through Xuandi's calm demeanor. Oh, he clamped down on the visible anger, but there was a twitch now. He didn't like how Kuvira had spoken to him, not at all. And he certainly didn't like what she said. "The Dai Li should have destroyed Zaofu years ago," he said harshly. "The poison of that anarchist Suyin Beifong has corrupted you as well."  
  
Kuvira's eyes hardened a little. "I've had my own problems with Suyin Beifong," she said. "But she still has more vision, by herself, than your entire organization, Xuandi. And I am more determined than ever to free Omashu from your grip."  
  
"What are you going to do, Xuandi?", I asked, cutting in. "The explosives are out of commission. You can't kill all of us, you can't go off and frame the Republic to bring Kuvira's army over to your side. The eyewitnesses will make sure her troops learn about what's happened, even if you were to subdue or kill her before escaping." I gestured to his men holding Raiko and Wu hostage. "This is meaningless posturing and you know it. Your plot has failed. Give up."  
  
A door suddenly swung open on the far wall, behind Xuandi's table. Everyone tensed up and watched as another RCPD officer flew in, crying out before she fell unconscious. Guan and Zhang entered with another group of Dai Li agents in full uniform, the two looking rather disheveled. They glared hatred at me before they ran the distance to their rule and took up positions beside him.  
  
I felt a bit of a chill go up my spine. Xuandi had a hint of a grin under his beard. "Good Dai Li agents do not simply plan. They arrange everything to ensure their task is completed," he said. "And if I cannot end this farce of a Republic now, I will do so elsewhere."  
  
"No..." I shook my head. I knew what he meant.  
  
Not elsewhere.  
  
Else _when_.  
  
"Xuandi, don't!", I urged him, bringing my sonic screwdriver up and activating it. It should work, the distance was close enough, it _should_ work... "The consequences for your world...."  
  
" _Kill them!_ ", he thundered.  
  
Chaos erupted. Looking back, I think Kuvira was the first to act, although Korra might have been. They certainly acted almost simultaneously. Korra bent her elbows backward in a quick pulling motion and the metal knives applied to the necks of Raiko and Wu flew away from the hands holding them. Kuvira's arms shot forward and the metal pieces on the back of her uniform flew outward. They intercepted the wrists of the Dai Li agents holding the hostages. Her hands and forearms jerked quickly and the surprised Dai Li went flying away from Raiko and Wu.  
  
Tenzin and Jinora leapt up and threw out funnels of air that blasted away Dai Li agents that were attempting to flank the table. Bolin intercepted a deadly-looking granite flail end that went flying toward them, pulling it out of the way and opened up its user to an Airbending counter-attack by Opal that sent him flying. The last Dai Li at their table went after Korra's back. Korra was already turning to defend herself, but that proved unnecessary given Asami's quick reaction with her repulsors. Bataar Jr., Varrick, and Zhu Li all went for cover beneath the table.  
  
I noticed something else. The RCPD police agents in the room... they moved quickly, but not to attack Xuandi. They took up formation around him. More infiltrators, undoubtedly, although I could hazard a guess on whether they were sleeper agents or infiltrators for just this day. Either way, I knew Lin would be livid.  
  
But that wasn't what I was worried about.  
  
" _Stop him!_ ," I shouted. I wanted to make sure, absolutely sure, even as I continued operating the sonic at him. Zhang's hand whipped out and a metal blade went for my wrist, slicing it on the side and knocking the sonic from my hand. Liara, heeding my call first, summoned her power to throw a singularity at them. It flew through the air between us.  
  
Before it could get to them, or in range of Xuandi, one of his Dai Li agents intercepted it. The singularity prematurely expanded and the man cried out in confusion as he began to rotate helplessly in the air around it, the dark matter's gravity pulling painfully against his body as it kept him in orbit around the singularity.  
  
Xuandi's left hand pulled back the right arm cuff on his dark green robe.  
  
The missing vortex manipulator was underneath. And its lights were still active.  
  
That... that wasn't... my sonic should have disabled it. It should have disabled it completely!  
  
" _Don't!_ ", I screamed.  
  
Heeding my cry, several benders - Korra, Kuvira, Bolin, Opal, and Jinora, it looked like - were all throwing attacks at Xuandi, and his Dai Li were in the way, Earthbending the materials in the floor to deflect the attacks.  
  
Asami blasted one out of the way with repulsors, and I went for my sonic disruptor. if I couldn't disable the vortex manipulator, at least I could stop them. I swung it up and prepared a Setting 4 discharge and....  
  
....Xuandi and his two lieutenants disappeared in a brief crackle of energy.  
  
Everyone stopped. Everyone stared.  
  
"No no no _no no **NO!**_ " I threw my hands up in frustration.  
  
For the moment the Dai Li agents fell back, their mission presumably complete, moving toward the door and regrouping. Opal went up to where they disappeared. "What happened to them?"  
  
"Wow, talk about a quick exit!", Varrick declared, coming out from under the table. "How _did_ that thing work?"  
  
"Doctor? What's wrong?"  
  
I looked back to Korra. "This is bad. So bad I don't even know how to describe how _horribly bad it is_." i said. "They... I don't know how, it doesn't make bloody _sense_..."  
  
I felt a hand on my forearm. Liara. "Doctor, take a breath," she said. "Calm down and _explain_."  
  
I took a few breaths to get control of the raging fear in my hearts. "The vortex manipulators are _time machines_ ," I said. "Xuandi and his lieutenants could be _anywhere_. Any _when_. And... and the _damage_ they could do..."  
  
"Time travel?" Varrick gripped at his chin. "Zhu Li, make a note. I need to invent a time travel device!"  
  
"No you bloody don't!", I shouted at him. "You can't possibly know the damage you could..." I took a breath and realized I really needed to calm down. Going frantic with horror wasn't going to help anything. "Okay. I'm going to go into the TARDIS and see if I can pinpoint where and when they went." I ran back to the TARDIS.  
  
I had just gotten to the threshold of the door when I heard the sound of the vortex manipulator again. For a brief, foolish moment, I breathed a sigh of relief and turned. Even if they changed something, with the manipulator back maybe I could....  
  
There was someone now standing in the middle of the room, wearing the vortex manipulator on their right wrist. It was not Xuandi. It was not Guan or Zhang.  
  
The young woman looked around at us. There was a wound on her face, a cut running down the left cheek, and burnt flesh on the right jaw up to the cheek. Her clothes were charred and torn and blackened. Her hair was a distinct mess. Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief and pain and... she collapsed to the floor, spent from all of her injuries.  
  
I felt my hearts skip as I realized that, despite her haggard appearance, I recognized the young woman.  
  
But I wasn't the one who spoke first.  
  
" _Gran-Gran?!_ "  
  
Jinora ran up and held the young woman's head up. And I could see, despite the disheveled state of her brown hair, the familiar sight of hair loops running from the hairline at the temples to the hair at the back of her head.  
  
" _Katara_ ," I said, my voice low with the realization of what I was seeing.  
  
She didn't look a day over eighteen. Maybe even younger. And those were clearly Water Tribe robes she was wearing, before whatever had damaged them so much. It looked like she had been through a war zone.  
  
"It's Katara," Korra agreed. Her blue eyes were wide with shock. "I can't believe it. She looks so young..."  
  
Tenzin went up to join Jinora. "Mo.... Katara." He clearly had to catch himself. "Can you hear us?"  
  
I thought she started to speak. But Katara's head fell back and her eyes closed. She had fallen unconscious.  
  
A whole host of horrible possibilities went through my mind. Of the damage that had been done. Of how hard it might be to fix it.  
  
And then my day got worse.  
  
 _BOOOOONG._  
  
It was a bell sound. Like someone was striking a gong underwater.  
  
 _BOOOOONG._  
  
And it was coming _from the TARDIS._  
  
Everyone started to look at me. "Doctor..." Liara stepped into my vision, allowing another _BOOOONG_ to go off. "I've never heard it do that before. What..."  
  
 _BOOOOONG._  
  
Before I could answer, there was something in the periphery of my vision. I turned in its direction.  
  
I was looking out the window, facing Yue Bay. The city looked beautiful as always, even with all the vines around. Golden light from the city's lights shined in the twilight hours.  
  
But there was no sunset sky. There was no horizon. There was just a solid wall of white energy on the horizon.  
  
 _BOOOOONG._  
  
It was moving.  
  
 _Towards us._  
  
 _BOOOOONG._  
  
And only then did I answer Liara's question.  
  
" ** _It's the end of the universe!_** "  
  
  
 **To be Continued....**  
  



End file.
